Burning in Comfort
by ImpressofChina
Summary: Ruyi's life flips upside down when she has to leave the Southern Water Tribe behind. She's taken to the Fire Nation and has to learn to adjust, but faces many problems being a complete fish out of water. While being surround by fire, she finds comfort in an odd place but she isn't sure if she'll be able to keep it. Zuko x OC
1. Chapter 1: Father

**Disclaimer:** Never will I own the ATLA series.

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There were few things this child loved. Yet, there was certainly one thing that remained above the rest amongst her many loves; it was the sea. For as long as she could remember, she had always loved the sea. On this land of tundra, surrounded by the beautiful blue waters, she liked the sharp and salty smell of the air that filled her nostrils with every sniff. She liked the vastness of the horizons that were bounded only by a vault that was the azure sky above. For many reasons, it made her feel small but in odd ways, it made her feel free.

Across these waters where places she had never seen. People of different cultures and foods of different spices. This child, Ruyi, had wanted to see them. She wanted to explore the world and enhance her freedom but that would mean leaving behind her people. Her people were weak. They were weak because of what the Fire Nation had did to them. Capturing and killing their waterbenders, and Ruyi was sure that they would return again, but she wanted to fight this time. Even if she would die doing so.

Ruyi was only nine but her hatred for the Fire Nation had consumed her like she was in the middle of a large tsunami. She wanted them to suffer as her tribe did, she wanted her vengeance for what they took from them. Some of these children were parentless, only to be taken in by other people, some who were only children themselves. How could she make them pay? She was just one child. One person couldn't fight against a nation of people unless you were the Avatar.

The world hadn't seen the Avatar in over a hundred years. Where he had vanished to or what became of him had become a mystery. No doubt the Fire Nation was probably worried about them, maybe even searching for them. The children all spoke of the Avatar, saying that they would bring peace and set the world right. Well, Ruyi hadn't believed it. In fact, she resented the Avatar for their absence. If she ever saw them, she would wring her hands around their neck and question why they had let the world become such a devastating place like this; where people were being burned alive, drowning in flames.

From old times, they saying that the world would end in either fire or ice was probably true. It certainly was going to end in fire at this rate. The ice was weak, melting under the fire. How could ice bring such destruction the way that fire can?

It was shame really. To be at the tender age of nine and having to suffer through this, to see how life has become. Ruyi had to be grateful that her mother prepared her for it, that woman knew that being naive and a child in this world would get you killed.

Such was life in this cruel world.

"Ruyi!" The voice voice had interrupted her rather grim thoughts, her azure eyes slowly looking away from the open sea and towards a bright pair of blue eyes. Instantly, the girl had smiled at the sight of the familiar face.

"Katara, what are you doing here?" She asked, donning a mature tone. Ruyi wanted Katara to stay a child, even though the girl already had her mother. Ruyi wanted to look out for her like an older sister would, let her keep her innocence just a little longer.

The round face had created a closed-eye smile, which warmed Ruyi's heart to the core. "Will you go penguin-sledding with me?"

That was Katara's favorite thing to do. If the girl had the choice to do it every day, she would. "I'm sorry, Katara, but I can't. I have to take care of the twins."

"Oh..." Despite the disappointment evident on her features, Katara still managed to keep her smile. "Well, can I help you with that then?"

It was clear that the young was bored and trying to find something to entertain her. There wasn't much to do in the south pole. It was such a barren place outside the large wall. You either fish, penguin sled, or did chores and take care of children. There were no places to go or other people to see.

"Sure." Ruyi caved, not wanting to shoo Katara away. An extra hand wouldn't hurt, especially since the children were quite the handful when it was just her.

For precaution, Ruyi had held onto the girl's small, gloved hand. "I'm not a kid anymore, Ruyi." Katara's lips had formed a pout, her eyes gazing up at the taller female.

"I know, but I like to know that you're beside me. You're so short that I forget sometimes." The teasing tone in her voice had made Katara's pout worsen, her eyes narrowing before she managed to find herself smiling. "By the way, where's Sokka?"

"He went fishing." Ruyi nodded, "But he was looking for you earlier about something."

"Probably about that stupid boomerang." The older girl sighed, rubbing her right with her freehand. "I told him to watch where he throws that thing. It hit me upside the head and so I hid it."

"But after knocking him around with some waterbending?" She asked, which Ruyi smugly nodded too. "You should teach me what you know! I want to be a good waterbender, and you learned a lot."

There were no other waterbenders in the tribe save for her and Katara. Ruyi decided to learn her own way, which was quite more ferocious than the gentle, push and pull traditional way. Since there was no other way to learn, she improvised and found her way to be more comfortable. "I can't teach you what I know, Katara. I've put too much of my own spin on it."

Confused, Katara's eyebrow rose. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That its not the traditional way; the right way. You should learn the right way because I know you'll be able to do great things."

Katara's eyes had widen, hope creating a glassy sheen over them. Ruyi smiled at the expression, "You really think so, Ruyi?"

"I know so. The world is going to need a waterbender like you, Katara. Just you wait." Katara's confidence soared at her words. Ruyi had hoped this confidence stayed with Katara, and then she too could defend the Southern Water Tribe in the future.

Their walking had came to a stop, they stood before the tert that the twins lived in. Ruyi had lifted the curtain with a smile, seeing the two toddlers playing with their makeshift toys. "Hello Kori and Kien."

"You're gonna watch these two?" said Senya. "These two are a handful, and they tried to pull out all my hair!" The old woman had let out a sigh of relief, quite content she would be relieved of her duties for some time. "Bless Mienna for bringing you to the village when you were just a babe or else I'd be stuck here with my nerves getting shot."

Ruyi chuckled, combing her bangs away from her face. "Don't worry, Senya. Kori and Kien are a little bit less of a handful if you give them some seal jerky."

"Oh?" The woman blinked several times in thought, "You should've told me that before!"

"Its a trick I learned. I can't share them with everybody." Ruyi crossed her arms, nodding her head. Katara went into a fit of giggles at Senya's glaring eyes.

Ruyi took several steps before kneeling towards the two, blue-eyed toddlers. In their hands were a hammer toy and a small drum, "You guys were making music? I'd like to hear it."

They couldn't comprehend exactly what she was saying. Without her question, they had playfully slapped the drum and hit the hammer against the floor. Although there was no steady rhythm, it was amazing that they were trying. Music moved people, even babies.

Katara had walked over, smiling as the two babies giggled and played to their hearts content. "Katara, could you help me carry these baskets? I'm having trouble lifting just one let alone two."

The eight-year-old glanced towards Ruyi, who had given her a smile and nod. "Okay, I'll be back when I'm done." She said to her, which Ruyi nodded again understandingly.

An hour had passed, the babies officially wearing themselves out after a helping of seafood stew. Ruyi grew worried by the absence of Katara and Senya, but decided that maybe the baskets became a little bit of trouble through the snow. Her eyes glanced towards the window, seeing the pristine snow falling towards the ground. Her smile, however, had turned into a horrified gasp when she saw the snow change color. It changed into soot, which was the sign of a raid.

Immediately, she surrounded the twins with furniture so that they would be unseen and wouldn't be able to leave even if they had awoken during it. She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the tent to see Fire Nation soldiers. It was as if they were looking for someone, possibly any waterbenders. None of them knew that she was one, but they could probably discover if…

"Katara." She said breathlessly, her heart stammering in her chest in fear. She couldn't let them capture her. Even though Chief Hakoda was here to make sure that she was safe, she wasn't sure if he was around to make sure they didn't get their hands on her.

Her walk turned into a run, her eyes frantically looking around the village for any sight of the eight-year-old. Ruyi's heart tightened when she couldn't find any sign of her, but it immediately stopped when she felt herself being picked up by the collar.

"Let me go!" Her voice raised confidently, her head turning to stare at the man who dared grabbed her.

She was greeted by a scary face, one that made her feel entirely small. The golden eyes of the people of fire had immediately instilled fear in her heart. "What is your name, child?"

"Why do you want to know my name?!" She asked with defiance, "What do you want?!"

His eyes nearly turned into slits by her unsubmissive attitude as his voice grew deeper, and darker. "I will not ask again. What is your name, child?"

"Ruyi! My name is Ruyi Wu!" Ruyi practically yelled the answer. Her eyes stinging as tears pooled at the corner of her eyes. She hated that she gave in, that she didn't do as she always said would. She hadn't fought them, she was just too afraid to.

His eyes then shifted away from her and towards other soldiers, "I found her. Take her into the ship."

Her eyes grew wide, the fight into her sparking. She immediately threw her fists, her knuckles smacking against his nose, which made him drop her and hold his face. She started to dash, still looking for Katara. Maybe they already knew they were waterbenders. What if someone told because they threatened them?

Just when the girl's home was in sight, she was picked up again and more roughly this time. "You're not getting away with that again, peasant!" He snapped, slinging her over his shoulder and she continued to punch his back and kick her feet.

All her efforts seemed to be in vain. He continued walking as if none of her hitting was effecting him. Her throat was trying to hold her sobs, daring not to let him hear her cry or show any fear. That was the motto of the Southern Water Tribe: "Show no fear!" But her courage wasn't working. She wasn't able to save or even believe herself.

He was already making his way up the gangplank, her eyes staring at her home which was becoming further and further away from her. She was now in this metal ship, shades of black, red, and gold decorating the place. "Let me go! I wanna go back home!" Ruyi yelled, "Stop it! Please, leave me alone!"

Her cries were in vain and she didn't want to face it. _'I was going to fight! I was going to protect everyone! I-I didn't do anything! And now I'm a prisoner!'_

She was brought to her feet, now inside what looked to be a cabin. Her eyes searched around, trying to find an exit but all that stood in front of her was man dressed like another soldier. Her eyes stared at him, glaring at him even, and he had slowly turned around to face her.

His skin was a deep, rich brown and his eyes were slant and a cool shade of grey. His hair was pulled into a tight topknot and a charcoal black that seemed like it was trying to grey. His face held a serious expression, but there was a kind warmth to his eyes. Ruyi, however, remained nonplussed and took several steps back once she heard the man that carried her in leave.

"What do you want?" She asked, fists raised in front of her face in a fighting stance. The man's eyes observed her stance, quite surprised at how she seemed prepared to fight him. There wasn't a lot of water around them, except in the flower vase. That could be enough to put a fight, she supposed.

His head tilted in a curious angle, "Are you going to fight me, Ruyi?"

Her eyes nearly turned into slits when her name left his slips, "Don't you use my name!"

"And why not? What should I call you?" He was as calm as ever. Like he was tethered to the ground and her anger would not shift his balance.

Ruyi had enough of talking, she shot a hook forward and the water broke through the vase and flew straight towards him. His head immediately looked in its direction, surprised by the attack but he was quick and moved away so that the water splashed against the wall instead.

"I didn't know that you would be a waterbender." Her body froze at his words. Her head immediately whipped around to look at him. "I should've figured because of your mother. Mienna said it was a possibility."

The fact that this Fire Nation man spoke her mother's name enraged her. Her eyes glassed over, her jaw set from her clenching her teeth. "Don't you say her name!"

"And why not? Mienna was my wife."

That was a shocking blow; an explanation she hadn't foreseen. "Your… Your wife?"

"Yes, Ruyi. Why do you think I asked them for your name and to bring you here?" His hands were behind him in an authoritative, militant stance. His aura wasn't intimidating though, more so calming.

The shock invaded her face, she warped her head around and powered her steps to every corner of the room, keeping her eyes open for any sort of sign that this was some kind of dream. Whirling around, she faced him. "So, you're my…?"

"Yes, Ruyi. I'm your father and I'm here to take you home."

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 **A/N:** The name Ruyi has several different meanings.

I chose this spelling of it 如意, which means "as desired; as one wishes, as one likes; according to one's wishes; following your heart's desires", but in Chinese poetry it was used/meant as "a green willow looks like a bird relies on a human".


	2. Chapter 2: Fire meets Water

The time spent on the ship from the South Pole and to the Fire Nation had been a quiet one. Despite being happy at the fact that Ruyi finally met her father, she hated that he was Fire Nation. She hated that she knew that she was also half Fire Nation. Her pride wouldn't let her hate herself. So, she concentrated all her anger onto him when in her mind, he was less vulgar to her because he wasn't a bender. That hadn't changed much of anything however since the point of this voyage wasn't to solely take her under his parenting. No, afterall, it was still a raid, which he vehemently said that he did not condone nor was apart of. If that was the case then why didn't he stop it?

How did he think he could win her over with that face? Didn't he know how much pain she was in? How she was left in agony over the fact that the man named Yon Rha constantly bragged about how he killed the last waterbender. Ruyi immediately thought it was Katara since he seemed so sure; the cocky bastard drunken merrily and laugh as he spoke of how he ended her pathetic life. "That act of strength she tried to have despite the obvious fear in her eyes", he said. Katara easily came to mind and her heart wrenched as she envisioned it. And the only thing Ruyi could do was only blame herself for not protecting the bright-eyed girl better.

Katara was someone she had hoped would leave the South and help the world. She had a gift of seeing the good in bad situations, and always helping people whenever they needed it. Katara, while having a soft heart, had a determination and will that was stronger than an iceberg. And now the world was missing such a good thing once again. Ruyi felt like Katara's life completely melted in her hands and dripped back into the ocean so that the vicious cycle could happen all over again.

Everyday, for the past week, all she had ever done was stare at the steel walls of the ship with such sorrow as she replayed the scene of the raid in her head. If she had went this way or that way, maybe she could've avoided the soldier who grabbed her and carried her to the ship. If she hadn't let Katara go with Senya then the girl would've been right by her side. Everything was her fault. Everything. .

In that absolute silence that was her room, she cried and cried until she felt that tears were a foreign action; her eyes completely all cried out—her eyes that represented water were nearly as dry as the Si Wong desert now. How could she want to face her father when he knew this would happen and let it? How could she find happiness in this life when she had failed to keep one of the many things in her home that brought her happiness? A friend, a child, had to die for her to see her father for the first time. It wasn't a fair deal, and she promised Katara's spirit that she would keep her resentment.

Not a single plate of food was touched and remained outside her room. Ruyi kept the door locked, not wanting to be bothered or to see the faces of any of the men on the ship. Some days, she could see her father's feet from under the door and he would stand there and wait. He was probably deciphering what he was going to say but then he would just give up and go back to his cabin. In some ways, she was grateful but she knew she couldn't hide from him forever.

The voyage would be over and she would have to deal with him. How long could she go without food and only accepting water? They'll grow suspicious and think she's conjuring up an escape. It was possible, but where would she go? She wasn't capable of going long distance across the ocean or any big attacks against a group of Fire Nation soldiers who had been trained possibly since birth. It would be fruitless.

Ruyi quickly jumped, startled by the sudden knock. Her eyes stared at the door for some time before reluctantly standing. She had opened it, albeit cautiously, to see the grey eyes of her father staring down at her. The silence between them was more than awkward—in fact, you could say that it was just unbearingly uncomfortable. Yet, with indignation, she had stared back at him as if he wasn't someone to be feared or even respected.

She kept telling herself she would never love him like she loved her mother. He didn't deserve it. He never could.

"We're here." Piandao simply said, and she felt herself squirming at the words. She was here, in the heart of the nation she hated: the Fire Nation.

Instead of being vocal, her head moved in a slow and stiff nod. He quickly spun on his heels and went down the hall, which she took as a sign for her to follow behind him. Ruyi, with a deep inhale and loud exhale, had followed behind him with slow strides. Even though she felt like curling up in a dark hole, she couldn't let the Fire Nation tear her down. This girl had pride and she was not going to let these people take it from her. They've taken far too much.

They had finally reached the deck, and the smell of the sea immediately filled her nostrils. It felt good to see and be out in open air. Her eyes looked around at the many ships, some larger than the ones she could ever imagine being. Their walk down the gangplank and to the docks was quiet still and she kept some distance between them. Piandao observed her, watching her soak everything in and remaining nonplussed despite being in such a foreign place that was completely different than the land of snow and tundra that she had grown up in.

"Not amazed?" He asked.

Ruyi had given out an inelegant snort, "Not in the slightest."

The man couldn't help but let a smile form on his face—small but without a doubt a smile. Even though he knew the condition of their relationship, and her obvious disdain for everything Fire Nation, he remained amused by her nonchalance. She was not a child that seemed to be moved easily. He would have to work for her affections but not her cooperation, which he couldn't be more grateful for. Her overall essence was quite the opposite of his own. It was hard to believe that such a child was of his own flesh and blood.

Their short walk came at its end when he led them to the carriage. The village wasn't ready to see a blue-eyed girl just yet. Even though Yon Rha and whoever on board lips would without a doubt spill of the former Lieutenants rearing a child that was of Water Tribe. He had to take precaution for her life. He wouldn't allow anyone to harm her or gawk at her as if she were some exotic object. She was his daughter and even if she hated him now, her would protect her at all costs.

"You're ashamed of me already?"

Piandao immediately looked in her direction to catch those bold eyes of azure staring at him challengingly. "Ashamed? Why would I be ashamed of you?"

Ruyi was trying hard to hate this man, but his words had tugged her heart. She was more or less expecting for him to be ashamed of her. Her eyes were a dead giveaway that he had made a child with a woman of Water Tribe. From what she could tell, he oozed respect and the other soldiers did speak highly of him during her time in the ship. He was a man of rank, and so she thought his image was definitely important to him.

"You're my daughter." He went onto say, her eyes slowly losing their tenaciousness and meekly looking down at the ground. "I would never be ashamed of you."

"Good!" Her voice a mixture of relief and defiance, "The world will know of me anyway." Quickly, she climbed into the carriage once the coachmen opened the door, the man startled by her quick entry before waiting for the swordmaster to follow suit. Grey eyes had looked to the window to see his child desperately keep her eyes away from his form. With a shake of his head and a smile curling upon his lips, he elegantly made his way inside of the carriage to sit opposite of her.

When the door closed and the coachmen seated himself in front, he grabbed the reigns and the ostrich-horses sped off, making Ruyi tilt forward a bit from the force. This was Ruyi's first carriage ride, but something was amiss. Her stomach was slowly, but viciously, turning and tightening. Her throat felt as if something was coming up instead of going down. The nausea was coming in like slow waves, reminiscent of the ocean just gently rolling against the shoreline.

Her right hand slowly went towards her mouth, covering it as she felt like she would vomit if the carriage had moved any faster. Upon her brow was a sheen of perspiration, glistening whenever the sunlight had peeked through the carriage window. This did not go unnoticed by her father, who calmly shifted his gaze to her.

Her eyes were staring out the window, her back slightly hunched as she tried to keep everything in. "Motion sickness?"

Out of stubborness, she didn't answer him. Out of denial, she didn't want to believe that was the cause. Maybe due to the fact she tried to starve herself and then being under the hot sun that seemed to bring waves of heat towards the Nation is fueled was the reason for it all. That plus the anxiety of traveling to a place she did not desire could be the strongest reason.

She decided to brave through it. Forcing herself to sit up right and letting the hand slip away from her mouth and back onto her lap, the times would come when something would tickle up her throat but she immediately swallowed it down. Her fatherly quietly observed her, musing over how she tried to shoulder her own pain as quickly as possible. He worried for how long she had to do this since he never knew when Mienna had passed.

"We've never discussed your mother." His body had tightened, her hands clenching and gathering up the fabric of her parka. "When did she... leave the world of the living."

He hesitated, she noticed but she wasn't sure if it because he was hurt of her mother's passing or because he was trying to say it in a way that did not upset her. Ruyi kept her eyes focused on the lush scenery of green, rows and rows of trees as the carriage went up the steep mountain. "Three years ago." Her voice was gentle, far gentler than any tone she used since they met. "An illness came and swept her away after six months."

Her eyes slowly flicked to look at him, trying to be discreet. Even though he wore such a stern face since she met him, she could see that hard shell becoming soft at the mention of her mother. His eyelids drooped, the corner of his mouth curling down into a deep set frown. That was the look of a broken man, and Ruyi felt pity and empathetic.

Like most children, she craved to know how her parents met. How did her mother come to love a man of fire? Her mother was gentle and sweet, the embodiment of a cool day, where the breeze caressed your skin in the softest of ways. How did he find this man worthy of her?

Ruyi couldn't question him, not now. Not when she was feeling guilty seeing him make a face like that. He loved her mother, that much was true in that gaze. And now that he knew how her life had ended, she couldn't bother to ask him to dig up such memories. She would let him sit and come to full circle that her mother, Mienna, was gone from this world.

Silence remained but it did not bring either of them discomfort. Ruyi was grateful for it, allowed to reflect on the memories of her mother. She missed the woman, dearly and often found herself envision her mother lying in the cot next to her back in their humble and comfortable igloo. Even after these past three years, Ruyi's heart always felt a sense of loneliness.

Her eyes then traveled back to the look outside, her eyes widened as she had seen small village, just quietly tucked away in the vast hill of verdant. She leaned closer, soaking in all this area of grass she had never seen before. Piandao had watched her lips were apart and eyes were huge in awe, he wondered if she could hear the roaring of the waterfalls.

"Mom would've loved this place." She found herself say, absently. Not directly speaking to Piandao but at the same time, she was.

His eyes looked at her with mild surprise, somewhat smiling at those words. "I had hoped to bring you both here."

And another tug did his words do to her heart. The fact that herself and her mother could've lived in this beautiful rocky and steep terrain of green had punctured her. If her mother never stayed in the South Pole, maybe she would've never became ill. Life had set its course and she couldn't change it, so it was best not to dwell on the past.

Before she knew it, they were making their way to a castle perched on a relatively high cliff. Her eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she quickly guessed this was her father's home. It was hardly humble, it was completely tall and extravagant. The roofs were pagoda shapes with red tiles and gold lining and designs. The walls and gate were a pristine off white. They had made their way up through the bridge and towards the gate, where the carriage came a stop.

Ruyi was almost afraid that she was going to have a heart attack if she had seen it up close. The coachmen opened the door for her, Piandao escorting himself out. She had grabbed onto the man's hand, still gaping at the castle before landing down onto the ground with her boot covered feet.

Her feet slowly made their way to stand beside her father as they walked their way through the gate and then two large red and gold doors. The outside of them was a shade of jade, symbols running along the sides. The door was red with Fire Nation flame insignia in the center but circled with gold with a design that reminded her of a lotus.

She couldn't bother to question it, the doors were opened and she followed him inside. She felt completely small in the house, feeling like it had swallowed her hole. "Choose any bedroom you like. There are sixteen of them."

"Sixteen bedrooms?!" Ruyi quickly turned to face him, her surprise written all over her face. "W-Why would you need so many?!"

Piandao's eyebrow rose, "I didn't make this castle. I found it and made it my home, you'll have to ask the maker of this place. Not me."

She had no retort for that and instead gave a nod to admit defeat. "Any bedroom I want? Aren't all of them the same?"

"No." He quickly replied, "There is one I made specifically for you but I am giving you a choice."

"I want to see it." What was special about this room? Why was it unlike the others? She quietly followed behind him, her eyes glancing around the large living room and then towards the hallway. They had went up three flights of stairs until they were greeted by another hall. Passing by six doors, he pointed to the room on his right and she had slowly went towards the door and gave its knob a turn.

Her eyes were greeted by many shades of blue and symbols of her home. Immediately, her eyes had welled up with tears. There were times during the voyage that she wondered if red, black, and gold would be the only colors she would see for the rest of her life. If the only symbol of her tribe would be the clothes on her back. And yet here she was, greeted with the furs that her people loved and banners of symbols of water hanging on the walls.

He had done this all for her.

 _Just for her._

/ **Flashback** /

"Ruyi." There was always something enchanting the way her mother spoke. Her voice so light and airy, something otherworldly with a warmth that seemed to burst through her words. It always made her want to listen, to obey it as if it had some kind of spell.

"Yes, mom?" Her azure eyes would stare upon the woman's royal blues, giving her full and undivided attention. Nothing could break the spell of her mother's voice, "I didn't do anything wrong, I promise."

"I know." And the way she smiled? It was like a warm summer's day, inviting you into a tight embrace after spring's showers. "Ruyi, you know how much I love you, right?"

"Of course I do." Her replies always had an ounce of hubris in it. Ruyi thought she was all knowing like most children. She just, at times, took it a little too far. "Why? Is something wrong or does mommy think I forgot?"

With a shake of her head, the woman kept her inviting smile. "Mommy hasn't forgotten." Her hand slowly reached to the girl's face, her thumb lightly brushing across the child's cheekbone. "Mommy just likes hearing Ruyi say it."

"Oh?" Conjuring up her excitement, and for a grand performance, she had leaped and wrapped her arms securely around the woman's neck, "Ruyi knows that mommy loves her to the moon—"

"and back." Mienna finished, making the hug tighter and nestling her face against her daughter's inky-colored hair. "Mommy loves Ruyi to the moon and back."

"You know," The child pulled back some so that her eyes could meet her mother's, showing their genuine sheen of curiosity. "Mommy always talks about the moon, why?"

The brown-skinned woman's eyes fell close, her smile still adorning her face. "That's because the Water Tribes looks to the moon for strength and guidance."

The young girls brows flexed and then knitted together to express confusion, "But why the moon? It never talks back."

A mirthful laugh escaped Mienna's throat, her head tilted to the side in her fit of giggles. "The moon doesn't have to talk." She answered, saying it rather simply. "The moon doesn't speak, but you feel the answers right here." Pointing at her daughter's chest, where the heart beats steadily in her ribcage, Ruyi's eyes looked down at her mother's finger. "So, when Ruyi needs help, ask the moon."

"But can't I just ask you, mommy?" Her eyebrow rose in a high arch, confused.

"Mommy can't be with you forever, Ruyi. Soon you will grow, grow away from me. And then, while you're away from me, you will need guidance. Look to the moon, my little sweetheart"

"To the moon, huh?" Still baffled, but accepting her mother's words as truth, she had then found another question to ask. "What about Dad? Does have something to give him advice while he is away from us?"

"He does." Her mother replied, "He has the sun."

/ **End Flashback** /

Her eyes slowly glanced towards the balcony at the moon, wondering if her mother was right. Back then, she was only six and so of course she believed the moon was a spiritual guide because her mother said so. Now, at the age of nine, she felt unsure if that was even possible. The moon didn't talk back and whenever she felt something within her heart, her mind always felt that it was the wrong decision. It had to be wrong; to forgive her father when he was on the ship that had hurt her home for the umpteenth time. Yet, could she fault him when if he did fight, wouldn't he be a traitor to his home? Why did right and wrong have to be such confusing sides? Why did she, only of the age of nine, had to contemplate on things that were meant for people older than her?

Shaking her head, she walked away from the balcony and continued down the hall. Her ears picked up on sounds that she couldn't exactly pinpoint on what they were. Her eyes observed everything, hoping that an intruder wasn't around. The idea was quickly dismissed when she had made her way down the stairway. The sounds were close and she continued to walk towards them, making sure her footsteps were light and didn't make a sound. The sounds seemed to emit from a halfway open door and when she peeked through the crack, she realized it looked to be a study.

He was sitting at the table, drinking apparently. His head hung low as he raised the white small cup to his lips. His head tilted back as he drunk the content down in one gulp before forcibly bringing it back down on the table. The golden kettle was reached for it so that he could pour more into the cup. Ruyi knew what alcohol was, she seen men of the tribe drink some whenever their expedition failed or succeeded. "You can come in, Ruyi." She was startled that he knew she was there, but she tried to put on a brave face and walked right in.

Her eyes glanced around at the many shelves. There were books and scrolls all around, and banners of calligraphy hanging on the wall. She couldn't read those words, however. Her skill in writing and reading were limited. Maybe someday, she would be able to read and write these words without a problem, but for now she remained puzzled and mystified. After her eyes explored, she then looked to the fireplace that was keeping the room lit. It made the room warm since the halls were cold due to the night. Shifting her attention back to the table, she sat down and sat directly opposite of her father.

"I have something to give you." Piandao said, his voice low and gravelly. Her eyes dropped his gaze, somewhat bracing herself for what it was.

He chuckled despondently at her reaction, "It's a gift, I assure." What he pulled out from his pants pocket remained unseen. It must've been small enough for his large hands to completely enclose around it. Gingerly, he placed his hand towards her on the table and slowly moved his hand so his palm was facing her.

Ruyi grew anxious as his now open hand revealed to what looked to be… "A betrothal necklace?" She made the assessment herself, but what was odd about it was because the stone, that was hand carved, was purple—amethyst and the ribbon was red instead of blue. The guttering flame from the fireplace made the gem split its vibrant color every which way. "Was this… for my mother?"

"Your mother wore this because I made it for her." Piandao stirred in his seat as he spoke with a strained frown. More so angry with himself, he continued on in a mild voice. "Your mother wore it until she threw it at me and left for the South Pole."

The gem glistened even more so as she shifted the band, igniting her curious eyes with twinkling orbs. "Then why are you giving it to me?"

The man pushed up his shoulders as if he hadn't the fainted idea. "Since it was hers, I figured you would make better use for it. It grows dust sitting in my room."

"What did you do to make her angry?" She pried, "My mother rarely gets angry."

Piandao nodded, agreeing with that. "If you were curious, we were married. She wore that necklace as a married woman; she gave it back to me as a means to end our marriage because I couldn't leave the Fire Nation army just yet."

Her eyes gave him a pensive gaze as she listened on. "I didn't know she was pregnant with you at the time. I was a man of my prime. I fought so many battles and won, but my greed wanted me to win just a few more. Your mother couldn't stand being married, pregnant, and raising a child alone because her husband liked to battle. She was always scared that I wouldn't make it back too, and I never calmed her fears because I kept leaving." His frown lines turned into amused crevices as his eyes reminisced her in his memory. "So she threw this necklace in my face and ran, I had no idea where she gone. I thought the last place she would go back to was the South, but she did."

The necklace fiddled around her fingers, her eyes studying the decoration of her father's love for her mother. It was fancy, more valuable than any betrothal necklace she ever seen. The right side of the gem held the Water Tribe insignia while the left held the Fire Nation's. It was combining the two cultures together: red and blue, which was essentially her; half Fire Nation and half Water Tribe.

"How did you meet mom?" She finally asked and he stiffed in hesitation.

Maybe this was too much of a touchy subject, despite it being her mother. "After a raid of the south." Her heart immediately stopped, her eyes widening. "I was sent to patrol the prison after battle because of escapees but when I met Mienna, I couldn't see her as this dangerous waterbender. I rescued her and gave her shelter."

"My mother… she was taken…" Her eyes fell close, shaking her head. "But if it weren't for you, she would've…"

"She might've escaped, but even then... Who knows." His head lowered, his eyes staring at the empty cup. "I suppose it was pure luck that I was sent there or that I fell in love with her. It was strange, really. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes ragged but when I met her doe, blue eyes..."

The tender tone and vulnerability was enough to make her feel odd; she was still torn by her resentment, and her actual want of bonding with him. He couldn't control where he was born—and what he was—and she felt like she could blame him for things he had no control over.

"You don't have to continue." Closing her eyes, she released a small sigh. "I know you loved her and she still loved you too."

His head immediately went up, his eyes now on her form. For once, she had greeted him with a smile. "She always told me the story about how the Sun loved the Moon. Now I know, it was about you and her."

Ambushed by memories and vision of Mienna's face, Piandao had wiped a trembling hand down his mouth, trying to gather his calm facade. He sat mutely for a pensive minute as he chewed at his lip. Ruyi watched as his eyes turned to hard ice and then melted; a hot tear spilling out and rolling down his cheek.

The room was deathly quiet until Ruyi pushed back her chair and stood. The occasional sniffle from him had ceased when she scurried her feet over to wrap her small arms around him. And for the first time, Piandao finally fully grieved for Mienna.

 **-/o/-**

A week had went by, and just when she finally adjusted to the castle she was plagued with nightmares. It was the same every night. She would jolt from the bed, her chest rising up and down rapidly as she had to fight to breath, her heart pounding as if it would leap out of her chest cavity. Her body was glistening from the thin sheet of sweat and her blankets were in a disarray from the constant thrashing, rolling, and fighting in her sleep. Her petite hands had slowly went to her face and massaged her temples as she had tried to wipe clean of the memory of her nightmares and tried to steady her breathing.

It felt horrible to wake up like this but it felt even worse for the nightmare to resume. Slowly, Ruyi had slid her hands down form the sides of her face, letting them limply fall on the bed as she tilted her head back and briefly closed her eyes for a maximum of two minutes. Sitting there in silence would help her get back her composure. And the words of comfort she would mutter that had soothed her yet made her realize how much of wreck she was. Those words, it was basically a mantra, a mantra that meant she was safe and she did't have to remember. "She's not here. She's not here. She's not here."

Once she got in her place of comfort, a sigh of relief had escaped her lips and she combed her slender fingers through her soft and messy black hair. She felt too awake to take herself back to sleep and she was also fearing that the nightmare might reoccur. Sometimes they would repeat themselves and other times they wouldn't, but she didn't feel like chancing it now and wanted to stay awake. Her fingers had stopped combing through her hair as she had felt a slight itch, she had slightly graze her fingernails towards the area that nagged her.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she had tilted her head forward and lightly hitting the side of her head with the palm of her right hand. "Why me?" Ruyi mumbled solemnly before yawning quietly, patting her left hand over her mouth as she had looked down at her feet. The blankets were completely off her form, all curled up on the empty left side of her bed. Out of boredom, she had curled her toes and then uncurled them before sighing for another time.

The nightmare was of a young, charred Katara. Half her face was the bright, willful child she knew and the other half was burnt, angry, and shouting how she had failed to protect her. It left her heart feeling heavier than it had days prior of her arrival to the Fire Nation, and added to the guilt that was already fully bloomed. Every night, she prayed to the moon forgiveness, but she couldn't find the answers to her prayers in her heart. Maybe her mother was wrong, maybe the moon doesn't answer back at all.

She took it upon herself to bathe and prepare for breakfast. Since the sun hadn't fully risen into the sky, she could be rest assured that it was still early morning. Her father wouldn't scold her for waking so late, and she couldn't use that saying of how her sleep is affected by the moon cycle. He didn't believe that despite it being fact that natural firebenders rose with the sun. Her hair was neatly pulled in its usual style. One side was neatly combed back while the other side rested against her face with a side fringe. Her clothes were quite simple, she didn't wish to be too flashy.

Ruyi simply wore a ruby midriff vest that was sleeveless and baggy matching pants that reached a few inches below her knee. Her feet were adorned with scarlet flats as she wore her mother's betrothal necklace around her neck. Her father warned that she could not wear any shades of blue for it would be disrespectful to live in this nation and deny their culture to parade her own. She found it a load of pig-chicken shit, but she decided to give this "respectfulness" a try. There would be a time where she would pushed the boundary, but not just yet.

Her feet led her out of the room and down the hall towards the stairway. It seemed everyone was awake and busy, she might've been the last to wake. Her eyes looked around for any sight of her father, but she had not seen him at all. Somewhat displeased to see she would eating breakfast alone, she sat at the table as food was still steaming. It looked to be finished and waiting only a few minutes ago, so she wasn't late by a margin. "Where is he?" She audibly questioned before picking up the bowl of rice porridge. She forced herself to gulp it down, and felt herself gagging after she tasted most of it. Her eyes looked towards the windows and squinted to see that he was out in the garden and not by himself.

A guest was here. And she had not been introduced nor informed of their arrival. So, what this person of importance or not?

Intrigued, she finished the rest of the porridge and used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth. Despite her father trying to teach her manners and proper etiquette, what he considered "barbaric" was quick and easy. She hated having to bother with salad forks and soup spoons and that it was wrong to touch food with her bare hands; food was food, and so why did it have to have rules? The important thing was its consummation.

Before aggravating herself with that memory, she slip through the doors that led to the garden and walked with a noble stride. If there was one thing her father had been proud of, it was her walk. She was regal for the most part, but her expressions did not match her walk. He said she looked "too mean" and "unfriendly" and not in a good way. Again, why should it matter? The important thing was, it showed she had no fear.

Now at a good distance but close enough to draw attention to herself, she had watched her father circling around what appeared to be a young boy. He was of pale skin, his hair of a dark brown and pulled into a sleek ponytail. His eyes were of amber, like many of this nation, but their hue was lighter than the many she had seen. There was sweat dripping down like a stream upon his brow, his eyes were narrowed and predatory like a polar leopard, and all sense of concentration was her father, his opponent. He wielded two swords, both of them were fairly curved and single-edged, which gave their sharp appeal. The hilts were canted, curving in opposite direction as the blade to prove they could be just as deadly too.

What was a boy like him doing with such deadly weapons? And here her father was, circling him with a sword in his own hand. Ruyi watched as her father swiftly stepped forward, bringing the sword down in a downward slash with enough force behind it that the dual-wielder had blocked the attack by making his swords do a criss-cross formation. The struggle for dominance ensued, the boy sliding back as he tried to add enough strength to the block.

"You're getting quicker." Her father said, obviously impressed.

"You've knocked me on my back one too many times because I wasn't." There was a smug tone in the boy's voice, which made Ruyi give him quite the skeptical brow raise.

Piandao's eyes glistened with pride while a smirk adorned his face, "It would simply mean that your training is nearly at its completion."

Her eyes remained glued to the fight, her lip from time to time being chewed out of her apparent interest. The clanging of swords erupted the air since there was no longer speech to attempt to drown it out. Both master and student were engage in a battle where one tried to one-up the other. Her father reeled back, his feet moving quickly and his body keeping up. His sword thrust cut through the air and the boy only managed to use the swords broad with to connect it, to attempt to block it. It made him stumble due to the force of it, and he had to quickly conjure up a new plan.

He was aggressive, but he knew how to use the weapons. He did not see them as two separate beings as one, which made his attacks more fluid despite how aggressive he aimed to be. Her head went into a curious tilt as she observed the rather angry look on his face. He was probably mentally scolding himself for allowing himself to get in a position like that; it was reckless but he kept himself firmly on his feet for the most part.

He hadn't notice her, her father that is. And when he did, he lowered his weapon to let his eyes set on her. And because Piandao seemed distracted, the boy followed the man's eyes and was now looking up at her as well.

All eyes were on her.

Ruyi was taken aback by the sudden acknowledgement, and found herself feeling flustered too. She never boded well with unwanted attention, and their eyes on her form were certainly unwanted. She parted her lips, ready to speak, but quickly closed them when nothing came to mind. A simple hello would do, but she found it to be lame.

"This is my daughter, Ruyi." Her father took it upon himself to introduce her. "Ruyi, this is Zuko, son of Prince Ozai"

Confused, her brow drew deeply in the center to reveal her confusion. "Prince Ozai?"

The boy known as Zuko, who was obviously a royalty appeared perplexed. What was there not to get? Piandao felt amused, even smirking at the sight of Zuko's expression from the corner of his eyes. It was obvious that her ignorance wouldn't bode well with him. "Prince Ozai is second son of Fire Lord Azulon, Ruyi."

Now everything made since. So, he was the grandson of the Fire Lord? "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not used to the customs here…" Her apology was quick, and she even did a deep bow out of respect and to show sincerity of her apology.

That was enough to wipe the annoyed look off his face. "She's not from here, is she?" He asked his teacher.

"No, my daughter was being raised by her mother in the South Pole. She hardly knew she was Fire Nation, so she's not used to the customs and royalty of our country." Ruyi glance back and forth between the two, almost offended that they spoke of her as if she wasn't standing right here.

"Are you going to teach me what I need to know, Zuko?" Her head tilted back rather arrogantly, her chest puffed out and her arms akimbo. Since he seemed to have distaste for her obvious ignorance then would he be obliged to take her under his tutelage?

His dark brows furrowed, his eyes slightly narrowing. Was she challenging him? He seemed to think so. "Why should I? Master Piandao is well adept for such a job."

"Then fix your face." Ruyi's reply held a bitter tone and she quickly spun on her heels to walk back into the house.

With a growl and a haughty step forward, Zuko wasn't about to let her get away with that. "How dare she—"

"Forgive her." Piandao quickly step forward, "Ruyi is unruly and doesn't understand then system of class here. Please, excuse her for her actions."

Once he said it like that, he could reel his temper in. Besides, Piandao was someone that Zuko respected and liked. He didn't want to ruin the relationship they had because of his obnoxious daughter. "I'll go get a drink."

Even though the servants could have done it, just as what Piandao was about to mention, he knew the boy was using it as an excuse to further to deal with his daughter. Zuko was the type to demand respect from outsiders. He refused to be looked down upon, and the best way to handle the situation was to let it run its course.

So, he said nothing and simply gave him a nod. Zuko took that as a sign he could enter the castle. The way his feet seemed to land harshly on the ground, only made the older man sigh. He could tell that this was going to lead into an argument. Just because he was patient with Ruyi, understanding her resentment and circumstance, that did not mean others would be so willing.

Once Zuko was inside, sliding the outside door shut, he had seen the azure-eyed girl drinking a glass of water. She had heard him come in, and she had not paid him any attention. From what she could tell, he wasn't going to let what happened a few minutes ago be left unfinished. "May I help you?" The condescending tone in her voice was enough to ruffle him all over again.

"You should learn to respect the grandson of the Fire Lord." Zuko's spat, "I could have you killed for you talking to me recklessly."

"You're threatening me… in my own home?" Her face had genuine shock, and her mouth even quivered to suppress a laugh. "You have gall. Well, most Fire Nation people do. I guess everyone in the Fire Nation feel entitled, huh?"

First, she disrespected him and now she was disrespecting his people and his home? "Why are you even here if you hate this place? You can go back to the South Pole! The Fire Nation doesn't need people like _you_."

" _People_ like me?" Her hand grasped onto the glass tightly, "What is _that_ supposed to mean?! And you're one to talk, your Nation keeps invading the homes of others instead of staying in this place that you love so much. Why are you invading other people's lands if your country is the greatest, huh? And I would _love_ to go back home, but the Fire Nation just might decide to raid and kill more innocent people like me again!"

His expression shifted to anger to genuine surprised. He seemed confused by her words, "Kill more innocent people? We detain waterbenders."

"Oh yeah?" It felt like someone had punched her in the jaw. It was slacked, eyes wide in disbelief with tears brimming at the corners. What did he know? He actually thought they were just being detained? "Well say that to my friend who is dead, thanks to your people!"

His body went rigid and his eyes widened. They killed an innocent child? He assumed her friend to be young as she was since it only made sense. He couldn't see why they would want to kill a child, just because she was a waterbender. "Here you are, just marching in here like you know everything just because you're the grandson of the Fire Lord."

Zuko wasn't going to tell her that he honestly didn't know. It also, certainly, made him feel uncomfortable with the fact. He always thought waterbenders were imprisoned so they wouldn't be a threat, but now they were instructed to kill?

"Looks like you have nothing else to say." While shaking her head, she placed the glass on the table. "Nice meeting you, your _Highness_."

With a sharp turn that whipped her hair, she had decided to go back upstairs leaving a confused and vexed firebender.

* * *

 **A/N:** I might've rushed things a bit with Piandao and Ruyi, but I wanted her to understand the situation with her mother. She's still very awkward around him and doesn't really call him dad. So, their relationship is still very much developing at a slow pace.

Also, Zuko and Ruyi meet! Yeah, it wasn't a good meeting but since as she's still grieving and hostile/albeit racist towards the Fire Nation, it wasn't going to end well when they met. Things will get better, I promise!


	3. Chapter 3: A Tale As Old As Time Pt1

Her father wasn't happy with her. Ruyi could tell. They had only been together for about two weeks now and she was starting to understand him more than she had expected. While her father was a poised man, very noble and very patient, he had ways of expressing his anger without even having to voice them. His eyes said it all. Even though they were such a calming color, they had the ability to be intense like the idol of his nation; the sun. The intensity in them was like an overbearing hot day, and she would find herself wanting to retreat in the cool shade.

Ruyi had felt guilty, and she hated that she did. The way she acted with the Fire Lord's grandson was disrespectful, she knew that, but the way he spoke was enough to push her already sensitive nerves. Her father had every right to be angry at how she treated royalty as well as his student. But even now, whilst feeling insurmountable guilt, she did not regret what she had said. She decided that she would deal with her father's anger with obedience but her pride would not shift her guilt enough to make her to apologize.

"How you spoke to him is enough to have your tongue scorched or your life taken." The way his voice trembled was a sign of how badly he was trying to keep his calm composure. "There would've been nothing I could possibly do if the Fire Lord wanted you punished for how you spoke."

This was how it felt to have a father worry over you? She was amused without a doubt, and she had felt even happier that he was so concerned about the fact that she could've died because of her waspish tongue. He was angry for sure, but he was angry because he could've lost her. "He's an arrogant prick. He needed to be educated about his people."

Piandao thought her defiant act was cute and acceptable at first, but soon he started growing tired of her relentless indignant behavior. "That wasn't for you to decide, Ru _yi_." The emphasis in her name, the overall tone he used, kind of chilled her to the marrow. "Royalty do not care if you are correct, you must respect them. There are ways to treat them so that you remain alive no matter how much you dislike it."

"I know nothing about royalty." She said, releasing some of her innermost thoughts. "All I know is that they can say and do whatever they want and not be punished for it. That's what the prince did to me, and I did not like it."

"Your ignorance of this subject is not acceptable anymore, Ruyi. I have given you books on etiquette and class as well as history, and you have obviously chosen not to read it. What about 'Example for Women', did you read it?" He questioned, standing absolutely still with his hands folded behind his back.

Her eyes had looked down at the table with guilt washing over her features. She did not read it. In fact, she found it rather sexist despite the book being written by a woman. "No."

"It figures." Piandao closed his eyes, shaking his head dejectedly. "That book was written by Fire Lady Wende, mother of Sozin. Do you know how many nobles girls have seen true copies of this book? Do you know how many rich and valuable lessons could be learned from this book alone?"

If there was one thing she had hated, it was feeling stupid and that's exactly how she felt at the moment. Her ignorance was a problem, and she could solve it but she prided herself not to. She hated not understanding things and due to the her upbringing, there wasn't much she could learn about other cultures or literature. She had no excuses anymore and the only holding her back now was herself.

"Read it now and read it well. You'll be coming with me to attend the palace festivities." His words lingered in her ears, her jaw slacked. Going to the palace? After how she spoke to the prince?

"But why?" She bothered to ask.

His feet walked in a slow pace, slowly moving towards the door. He stopped every so slightly, "It'll be the celebration of Lady Ilah's death. Every Fire Lord mourns their wife, and she was a great Fire Lady. Many people loved her as they did Fire Lady Wende; you will have to be on your best behavior and this will prove to be a test."

A test? He was testing her based on manners? She wasn't sure why but she knew that she couldn't fail it. For the sake of her own pride and because she didn't want to embarrass her father. "Fine. I'll get to reading."

 **-/o/-**

 **Zuko's P.O.V**

There were days where I was eager to wake up, and others where I wanted to stay asleep. Even now, with the sun barely over the horizon, I wish I hadn't woken up so early. In some ways, I was grateful that my natural wake up was the sun but the days where I'd rather stay in bed was becoming one of many. I enjoyed the days with my mother in the garden or when I was receiving training with Piandao. In all efforts that drove me away from the realization and expectations that I had to complete for my father to be proud, I would rather take them.

I loved my father. Why wouldn't I? My respect for him didn't have any boundaries, but I was always afraid to make a mistake. So far, I have made too many. So many that my sister literally pulled the rug from beneath my feet and created a world where my father only saw her. He hasn't given up on me, at least not yet, but I knew the day would come if I hadn't become perfect; a perfect son. I had to become like Lu Ten or at least better than Lu Ten. I found it impossible to beat my cousin, he was in another league of his own and was much older than me. To compete with him was a mission that I could never accomplish.

The anxiety, the fears, and everything negative would engulf me like the way fire latches onto wood and I was left burning, letting that negativity melt away at my skin. Leaving nothing but bones of an anxious, imperfect heir.

But as of lately, my mind couldn't help but wonder back to a few days ago. Where I had met that temperamental Waterbender, who was made of fire and water. Her mood fluctuates quickly, I noted. Within the brief introduction, I had seen at least three expressions quickly dance across her face; calm curiosity, regret, and then boiling anger. She definitely had an inner fire, but it was more like a mighty ocean than it was a flame.,

How could Piandao have a kid like that is what really intrigued me. They were such polar opposites and you would think that he would raise his child to be more like him: intelligent, self-possessed, and earnest but she was none of these things. And already, I didn't like her.

My dislike really stemmed from that revelation she gave me, and I wasn't sure if it was the exact truth yet. I didn't really believe that the Fire Nation would murder children just because they were Waterbenders. I knew of the raids, which we have been told were on-going battles being the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation because water was such a threatening element to us. Not superior, but indeed a threat. I knew we captured them, but killing them? Killing children? That didn't even sound right to me. Of course, I had conveniently forgot of what we had done to the Airbenders long ago.

I wasn't able to sit and think very much on the subject. The door to my room was opened, and my eyes immediately looked up to see that it was my mother who walked in. I repeatedly told her that I was becoming "too old" for her to just walk into my room. I was ten, and I was a boy. It was too weird for my mother to come and go into my room as she pleased. As much as I had loved her, she would constantly embarrass me by telling me "there's nothing she hadn't seen" since she took care of me for all my life.

"Its about time that you be prepared for tonight. We'll be honoring your grandmother today." Even though it had just become dawn, everyone was so worked up about the festivities. There would be a dance, food, fireworks and prayers. We had done that every year since her death, and every year I missed my grandmother just a little bit more than I had before.

Grandmother Ilah was considered one of the four greatest Fire Ladies in history like great-grandmother Wende before her, and the two wives of Agni: Yuhuan and Qiang.

My grandmother was said to be so beautiful in her youth that she shamed flowers, even fire-lilies. It was hard for me to believe that since when she died her hair was a pristine white like my grandfather's and her face was glittered with lines of age. She was also so small and short due to her elder years. The only beautiful things I remembered were her eyes since they were the brightest yellow that reminded me of sunlight. And her personality and hugs that seemed to swallow you into a world of peace.

There were times where I missed her, very briefly. Lu Ten had known grandmother longer than I had and I somewhat envied that. Azula doesn't remember her since she died when Azula was just a baby, and she hadn't really cared later on that she had no memories of her like I did. In fact, I heard her once say that the festivities during for her death were boring and a waste of time. As if celebrating her life and accomplishments weren't worth it.

I never understood my sister, and I was too afraid to. Her words always make me angry, and I morbidly was glad that grandmother didn't live long enough to know the Azula I know today.

"Are they going to do the dance again?" I bothered to ask. "The Prince of Shu Jing?" The Prince of Shu Jing in Battle was my favorite. Tonight, one girl would be playing Prince Zhinu and I would be entranced as I had before. Grandfather always said nobody did the dance justice like his great-grandmother Wende or grandmother Ilah, and I would never know how beautifully it could be danced.

With a smile, she nodded. "Of course, it was her favorite. Your grandfather always lets the Harem perform her favorite dance."

The women of the harem did love grandmother, I knew that much. She took care of them, following the principles of great grandmother Wende so I knew they would do their absolute best in her memory.

"But right now, you need to be getting prepared. You too will be performing." I had almost wished my mother didn't remind me. I didn't want to do this dance but it was better than playing the Tsungi horn.

The dance I would be performing was called Dashao, a dance that was supposed to be the battle between Agni and Yuhuan I had to dress up as a phoenix while my opponent was supposed to be dressed as a crane. I never really understood why Yuhuan was compared to a crane since it was a big symbolism for water since the crane could not live without it.

My mother had notice that wasn't quite paying attention and with a soft gesture, her fingers lightly pinched my cheek. "Zuko, is something wrong? You seem to be brooding quite a lot lately"

My mother was also my best friend. I always felt comfortable with telling her everything, but I also worried that telling her everything wasn't always a good thing. That would mean she would worry but if I hadn't then she would still worry. "I'm just thinking about Master Piandao. Is he coming?"

"Of course. He wouldn't miss the dance for the world." Her smile eased my worries by a fraction, but I was surprised by what she said next. "Have you met his daughter? I heard she is living with him now; a girl of the Water Tribe."

"I did." I think she noticed the bitterness in my voice, and I knew she would question it. Her brow was already arched in question, wondering why I didn't seem too fond of the girl already. "I don't like her." I put it simply.

My mother liked to analyze things, putting perspective of what happened and wondering if I was being fair or not. "And why is that?"

"She's rude." It was the truth, she was. She got upset because of something so stupid. "She was angry because I asked Master Piandao if she was from the Fire Nation since she didn't seem to know anything. She didn't even know who dad was…"

The chuckle that left my mother's lips had dampened my anger. I didn't know why she was amused by this, but she probably had her reasons. "She's a foreigner of this country. She's out of place so she gets confused and angry about things quickly. I understand her temperament." I was confused by this, my eyes looking up at her as I tried to read her expression. She looked rather wistful as her eyes seemed lost in memories, "I had no idea what the Capitol was like. I grew up in Hira'a. When I came here, I was so confused and even lonely. She's handling it a little different than I did, but she just needs time to adjust, Zuko."

My mother was too kind. She always gave people the benefit of the doubt, which I admired and also hated all at the same time. I looked away from her, staring out into nothingness as I contemplated this. "Still, its not my fault she has to adjust."

"I know." Her hand pressed against the side of my head, giving me smooth and comforting strokes against my hair. "She was wrong and you're right about that, but I think she deserves a second chance."

Forgiving, so much more than I was, but for the sake of my mother as well as Master Piandao, I would consider it.

"Now no more idling around. The bath is prepared for you and your clothes will be laid on your bed." Mother said, patting my back to hurry me as I climbed off my bed. I couldn't help but pout and feel anxious about tonight, but I knew that dragging my feet wasn't going to make everything suddenly slow down. I would have to get over my feelings for the sake of making father and grandfather proud tonight. That dance had to be perfect without a doubt.

The bath didn't scrub my fears away and getting changed into my formal clothes didn't either. The palace was decorated from the floor to the ceiling, but nothing was strong enough to distract me from tonight. So, I thought that maybe I should look for my uncle and cousin. They were the perfect distractions. Without a doubt, Uncle Iroh would be able to put me at ease.

I knew that he would be especially cheerful today. He liked celebrations ( as well as the food that came along with them ). Lu Ten did too, obviously getting that from his father. Iroh had a contagious kind of happiness and so I thought that was exactly what I needed.

I found myself heading towards the tea room. I pressed my ear against the door to try to hear if Uncle was truly in the room and as I expected, he was. Pushing the door open, I had saw my Uncle laughing with his teacup hovering above the tea plate in his other hand. Lu Ten was behind him with a smile. Yet, there were two other people here.

I guessed I talked them up.

Master Piandao was on the other couch and his daughter was beside him. Her eyes were gazing down at the teacup and it surprised me to see her acting the slightest bit of modest. My happy expression immediately disappeared upon the sight of her.

"Zuko!" My Uncle called my name, "Come join us."

I watched as the girl seem to become stiff upon my name. Honestly, my lips couldn't help but curl up into a smirk upon the sight but I immediately thinned my lips and walked in with the door closing behind me.

I watched Piandao as he looked to his daughter, his brows slightly knitting together as he gave her a rather dour fixed look and she shifted her eyes and held a rather pensive expression. They obviously had a talk since our last encounter, and so I believed an apology would be happening soon.

If she apologized then I would give her a second chance as my mother wanted. Other than that, I saw no reason for us to interact after that day. Iroh noticed the tension between the three of us and even looked at me as if to question what happened, but I took my seat next him with no indication that I was going to speak on it just yet.

"Zuko, how's the sword training?" Lu Ten spoke up, his eyes in a closed-eyed smile as usual. He always seemed happy and content, which was quite as contagious as Uncle's happiness.

"I'm almost done, right Master Piandao?" I looked over to him and he had given a stern nod.

"Most people do not master broadswords at this age, but Zuko has done well." His sincerity moved me, especially since I always seemed to master things late where my sister spared no time on obtaining a new skill.

My eyes left him and then looked towards his daughter, who kept eyeing the tofu dumplings. Was she afraid to eat in front of us? Maybe she was uncomfortable since it was all boys and she was the only female.

"Uhm…" Her voice broke the short-lived silence and all her eyes were on her, "What kind of dumpling is that? I've never seen that… before."

How could she act the slightest bit of bashful? The other day she practically yelled at me and now she acted as if her voice couldn't go another octave?

"Tofu dumplings." Uncle answered, "My son says I need to eat a little bit healthier and so I ordered them in stead. Tofu is really," he stuck his tongue out to describe the bland and awful taste, "but it doesn't taste half bad like this."

Her eyes held a curious glint, picking up a pair of unused chopsticks, she had picked up one of the few dumplings and took a bite. I'm not sure why I was intrigued of what reaction she would make and I found myself amused at how slow a frown appeared on her face. The curiosity she held was swept away with disgust and I… I had to hold myself back from laughing.

"...See?" Iroh turned to Lu Ten, "How can anyone like tofu? I even had to tell a tale to make it sound good."

Lu Ten sighed, shaking his head as for the first time ever I had seen a genuine smile spread across my sifu's lips. Piandao wasn't the type of man to smile, he was always so stony-face but now I had seen the slightest bit of happiness.

"You lied?!" The girl choked out after forcing herself to finish to rest after her bite. Uncle's laugh sounded quite nervous as if he forgot that he blurted out that he did. In the end, she found the humor of it and gave half of a smile before drinking a sip of the hot tea.

The air in the room was comfortable, and it completely made me forget about tonight's festivities.

"Ruyi." Piandao spoke her name, reminding me what it was.

She looked up at him, "Yes?"

"Would you like to see the Palace garden?" He asked and I watched as she seemed genuinely surprised and somewhat curious. The palace's garden was infamous on its beauty and the rarity of flowers that had been planted there. The bridge, the brightness of the grass, and the beautiful ponds and lakes was enough to interest anyone. I had to wonder if she would be interested considering she lived in a castle herself. It was nothing in comparison to my home, home of the Fire Lord and royal family, but it wasn't something to be looked down at.

Uncle then looked to me as if he had an idea, and I could already guess what it was. "Zuko, you should show young Ruyi the gardens. You know them better than anyone else."

I watched her face reveal her discomfort but she tried to mask it before anyone could notice. I saw it already though, and the fact that she wanted to avoid me proved that Piandao wanted her to apologize to me. "Do you want to?" I asked her and watched her hesitant worsen. She knew if she waited too long to answer then it would arouse suspicion.

"Uh, yes." She caved and place her teacup down. It was empty, so I wouldn't have to hear Uncle question how anyone could waste tea.

She stood up from the couch and looked back at Piandao. With the correct manners, she bowed to signal her exit and walked a few steps behind me. When we left the tea room, I had heard her sigh.

"Uhm, before we go…" She said as my lips curled up in a knowing smirk. I didn't bother to turn around, I bet she would feel embarrassed doing it face to face. "I just want to say that I'm sorry how I behaved the other day. I was wrong to act like that."

For some reason, I didn't feel satisfied by her apology. She apologized for her behavior but she didn't apologize for what she said. Was that her way for working around it? Did she think I wouldn't notice?

I turned around to look at her and found that she was fiddling with the ends of her hair. Why had seen been nervous if she was unapologetic about what she said? That didn't make sense to me. "The things you said…"

"Oh," She nodded, "I was harsh but I meant what I said."

…

I was at a loss.

She meant what she had said but she apologized for how she went about it? Didn't that take away from her apology? Shouldn't her apology be about the whole thing and not some of it? I felt duped of what I wanted but I couldn't find it in me to stay angry. Was this me relenting? Was this me wanting to let it go?

"So, yeah, the garden." Now she was rushing me. I sighed. I didn't want to think about this anymore. It left me confused and thinking of how crazy girls were.

 **End Zuko's P.O.V**

The walk between them was silence, and in the middle of uncomfortable and comfortable. The silence was loud, Ruyi noted, but she didn't have the courage to fill it. Her eyes would rather look at the huge walls that surrounded her and were decorated with paintings probably older than everyone in the palace's ages combined. Some of them were from the early years of art because to see how things had drastically changed compared to others were somewhat magnificent.

"We don't have to go." Ruyi spoke up, eyeing the painting of the three cranes by a riverbed painting.

Zuko's quickly stopped, standing there with a rather confused expression. "I thought you wanted to go?"

"I do." She answered, "But you obviously don't want to."

Out of curiosity, he had turned to face her but she was still gazing up at the painting. "What makes you say that?" He outright asked.

"You don't like me, you've made that clear." Her eyes averted from the painting and boldly looked at his own. He was surprised by her words and her actions, and he found himself trying to recollect himself and reel away from the shock.

He didn't know what to say. His lips were closed shut as his eyes continued to stare at her azure ones to be just as bold. "Its not like I hate you."

If that was supposed to ease anything then Ruyi would like to know how. "Thanks." Her tone was bland, her expression deadpanned.

"Just go back to with them and drink tea." Ruyi waved her hands, "Just tell my dad I wanted time to myself, he'll believe it."

"Why are you shooing me away?" Zuko asked, "Why does any of this even matter?"

"Why would I want to be around someone who is uncomfortable with me? Does that make any sense to you?" Her question made sense and Zuko found himself nodding reluctantly. "Alright then, so leave."

It seems her attitude wasn't going to go away, but she was better than how she was the other day. "Why are you so… rude?" He finally asked, "I said I was taking you and so I am. I'm not going to lie to my Uncle and Master Piandao."

He was stubborn as she was. He wasn't going to go away upon her request that easily. "I'm not rude, I'm just…" She couldn't exactly put the words together and she found herself struggling with finishing the sentence. Her eyes darted away from his gaze and then looked to the floor, "I'm just uncomfortable."

His mother's words rang in his head, and he was sure that being patient was what he should be. He could tell that she wasn't exactly happy despite the fact she lived here for a few weeks and soon a month. It was a drastic change from the South Pole to the Fire Nation? It just wouldn't be so easy for her considering she left people she knew all her life behind. That's exactly what his mother did, and he couldn't help but wonder just how sad and lonely she was to be unable to ever see her parents again after marriage.

"Its… fine." Ruyi was surprised at his words and she quickly made her way to look at him. "Don't rush everything."

She didn't expect him to offer words of advice considering how they met and every time they had talked it came to be confrontational. Her features had loosened from their tight scowl and into a look of gratefulness and even relief. "Thanks…" Ruyi managed to whisper, feeling too timorous to say it with confidence.

Instead of speaking, Zuko turned and continued walking ahead and looked over his shoulder to see if she would follow. And without a doubt, she had and he could honestly say that the silence between them now was a comfortable one.

When they had finally reached the renowned palace gardens, the young waterbender released a gasp as she looked around in awe. There were a variety of flowers, even the trees. Some bore fruit while the others bore flowers. And due to the summer season, they were all in full bloom. The smell of the garden reminded her of Shu Jing since there were so many trees and flowers around. Zuko's amber eyes had observed her eyes that held a bright gleam as she took several steps forward to fully take in the beauty of the place.

Instinctively, she found herself drawn to the tree of purple flowers. They hung like tendrils and the colors were a bright, lavender hue. She leaned in to smell them and found herself adoring the fresh and beautiful smell. It was hard to describe this invasive beauty. "What is this? A chandelier of flowers?" She asked, caught up in her fascination with the three.

The royal almost wanted to laugh at her childish wonder-struck but remembered he was the same when his mother showed him the cherry blossoms in spring and how amazed he was. "Its called a Wisteria tree."

"Wisteria…" She repeated, nodding her head. It was amazing to see such flowers since the South Pole was such a barren land void of grass and flowers as well as trees. "It smells really nice."

"It has symbolism if you're curious." He added, surprised at himself as he continued to talk.

With a tilt of her head, she blinked twice out of confusion. "Symbolism? The tree has a meaning?"

This was a new face of hers he had seen; pure and utter confusion and interest. "Yeah," Zuko took a few steps towards her before placing a hand on the bark of the tree. "Its pretty older, probably older than the palace. "For most people, it means unrequited love."

"Unrequited?" Taken back, she shook her head in bewilderment, "Why would a beautiful tree have that kind of meaning?"

"Well, there was a story about a girl from a painting who came to life because she fell in love with a young man. She tried and tried to gain his attention, but it didn't work. So she went back inside the painting, hold a wisteria tree branch, heartbroken forever."

"That's depressing." Her thumb stroked the petal of the purple blossoms, "But that's all it means? Just that?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Endurance and heartbreak is all I know. There's a play about that story, I've never seen it but my mom has."

As soon as he mentioned his mother, she felt a shocking pang of jealousy. He was lucky to still have his mother, "Oh." She then let her arm fall to her side, "So maybe I should get away from this tree or else if I fall in love, I might be like that lady, huh?"

"Considering she just walked out of a painting, I doubt that story is real." Cynical, she thought. Yet, in a way, he was easing her silly worry.

"Zuko?" Both of them turned to see a pale-skinned girl with luxurious, inky black hair that was pulled into twin buns. Her eyes were slant as her gold eyes looked at the two with what Ruyi couldn't exactly read.

"Mai." He said her name, which didn't bring Ruyi up to speed. "What are you doing here? Did you come early for the festival?"

Her head lowered as her cheeks were inflamed with a pink hue. The Waterbender remained confused by her actions, deeming her as a demure and shy girl. She also felt intruding being around the two despite Zuko seemed more normal than she had within another's presence.

Her answer wasn't vocal but just a simple nod. It seemed as if Zuko was use to this type of behavior since he didn't seem puzzled by it like Ruyi was. "I can go if I'm…" She then offered but Zuko shook his head.

"She's probably here with my sister. Let's go." Unfazed by the events, Zuko then made his way towards the pond in a short distance and Ruyi followed after seeing the saddening expression upon the girl named Mai's face.

Maybe the girl wanted to spend time with Zuko, and she didn't want to make it seem as if he had to accompany her. Ruyi could handle herself. "Zuko, I think she really wants to hangout with you, aren't you two friends?"

"Not really," he replied, "she's my sister's friend. Not mine." Seeing as how he seemed to want to avoid his sister, she couldn't help but wonder if there was some bad blood between them. Since she didn't want to pry, she said nothing and followed him.

When they reached the small pond, her eyes weren't alight as they had been when she had seen the wisteria trees, he noticed. Her eyes then widened upon the sight of small birds swimming across the water's surface. "What are they?" She immediately asked.

"Turtle-ducks." He answered before taking a seat. She continued to stand with her hands pressed to her knees as she watched them quack and swim along merrily.

"Turtle-ducks." She repeated, making sure she had said the name right. "They are... cute." Ruyi hoped that was an adequate word to describe them.

Zuko hadn't said anything in reply and so she took that as him agreeing with her. "My mom and I feed them bread crumbs whenever they're around."

"I wish we had some now." The girl sighed, somewhat disappointed. It had to be quite an experience to feed them, right? The only animals she had seen were the animal natives the South Pole, which weren't many but her favorites being Penguins.

Slowly, Ruyi fell on her backside to sit next to him after her legs felt sore. The fact that you had to take a boat and carriage to the capital was tiring, but she had spent the entire time during her trip sleeping. She wasn't sure how the prince could do it and still be able to spar with those heavy looking swords.

"Can you bend?" His question somewhat startled her but she had given him a nod. "Have you mastered it?"

She shook her head in reply, "No. Piandao has given me some scrolls to learn from, and I only know just a little bit."

Piandao? She didn't call her parent father? Zuko's brow raised in curiosity as his eyes were glued to her face. He wanted to ask but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. "So, what can you do?"

Because water was the opposite of fire, and could douse flames and even turn it into steam, he was always curious to see it in action. Nobody bothered to teach about other bending arts in the Fire Nation since they thought there was no need. Fire was their element, their power and so that should be their main focus. Everything else was inferior to the great flames that they could create from nothing.

Zuko always wondered what other things water could do that fire could not. The possibility of seeing it in action made some of the hairs on his arms stand up, with goosebumps there as well. He remained glued to her, watching her with every bit of concentration.

Looking intensely at the water, she moved her hands in a pulling motion to create a stream of water. With precision and sharp movements, she created a sphere of water and presented it to him. "Ta-da!"

He snorted at her enthusiasm but he was amazed by the opposite bending art. This was his first time ever meeting a waterbender let alone seeing waterbending. The ball of water was amazing and because of his overwhelming curiosity, he poked the spear with the tip of his finger. She concentrated enough so it didn't destruct by his actions, and she couldn't help but laugh at his kiddish actions.

Flustered by her laugh, he watched as she then nodded towards him. "Make a flame." She insisted, and turned his hand so that his palm was upward, a small and simple flame was created within the palm of his hand. Carefully, she manipulated the ball of water above the flame just to see the water eventually began to boil from the heat.

Both of them marveled at the bubbling water but due to lack of concentration, she was unable to keep it and quickly flicked it away before she burned Zuko's hand. "We should spar." Ruyi suggested, "I think there's a lot to learn from seeing what we could learn from other bending arts and because it seems like it would be fun."

Astonished but amused, he nodded. "We should."

Ruyi's face lit up at his acceptance and she could help but give a toothy grin. "That'll give me an excuse to come to the capital."

"You like it here?" The Firebender asked and received a rather questionable shrug.

"I mean, I haven't seen much of it but I do like this garden. I'd like to come back here." Ruyi nodded after finishing her sentence before gazing over towards the flowers. "My mom probably would've loved this place too."

"Is she in the South Pole?" The expression on her face completely changed. The comfortable atmosphere had slowly took a downward turn and Zuko realized that her mother was a sensitive subject.

"No." Her voice was low, "She's been gone for a while now." She could tell that he regretted asking her that and before he could apologize, she spoke up once again. "Anyway, what happens in this festival? We don't usually celebrate our lost ones with a festival. We just mourn and pray, really."

As she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arm around her legs, she rested her chin in-between her knees as she looked at him. "We eat their favorite foods, perform their favorites dances, and celebrate the end of it with fireworks. Its not a sad thing, but a happy one."

"I heard that she was a great Fire Lady to be written in history... Fire Lady Ilah." The boy nodded in response, "Have you met her?"

"Of course." He said, with a smidgen of confidence. "She passed away when I was only six. I still remember her very clearly."

"What was she like? If you don't mind me asking." Unable to help her curiosity and seeing how Zuko liked the attention, she wonder if she could use this information to impress her father. It would show that she did put some thought into becoming a more "good-mannered" child.

The memories that Zuko revisited were pleasant, not in the slightest bit of daunting. "She kind, and very, uh, witty as my mom would say. She loved tea, a lot, and brewed many of her own. Everyone says she was humble, virtuous, pretty, and intelligent. Since she was old when I've known her, I don't know much else about her personally.."

It seemed as if those were the main ingredients to be a good Fire Lady. From what she read, all the famous ones seemed to be all those things. "I see." He didn't speak of the rumors of her strained relationship with the Fire Lord. Maybe Zuko had never seen it for himself, that's why he didn't bother to mention it.

"Zuko!" A woman's voice cried out in the distance. Ruyi swiveled her head in the direction from which it came while Zuko stood, smiling as he knew who was calling him. "Zuko, where are you? It's almost time for the festivities to start."

"I'll be right there, mom!" He yelled back before looking towards the Waterbender. "You should go too, I'm sure Master Piandao is looking for you."

With a tired sigh, she stood and dusted off her clothes. "Yeah, I'll see you later then."

With a wave, she watched the royal run off. "I guess he isn't so bad after all."

* * *

 **A/N:**

I feel like I was mixing older Zuko in young Zuko's pov but then again, I can chalk it up that his level of education and maturity was a bit higher than most children.

I based the Fire Ladies on some real Empresses/the Four Great beauties of China. I was always sad that there isn't much information on Sozin's wife ( not even a name ) or Ilah, and so I made up some things on my own.

Examples of Women is a real book by Empress Zhangsun ( Empress Wende ) and I am so upset I cannot find the actual book translations. = u =

And the dance, Prince of Shu Jing, is based on Prince of Lan Ling because I loved seeing that dance in dramas as well as the actual drama based on him. I also find it ironic that the Prince of Lan Ling story is in old Chinese documents that is called "Shujing".

Since the Fire Nation is a mixture of Asian cultures, I love to explore and give it more depth. So, if there's anything familiar that's because I had added that in there.

Not just that, I was also hesitant on giving Yuhuan a Chinese name because she's from the Water Tribe, but then I remembered Yue. Her name is Chinese and based on the moon, so I guess its a rarity that they have those kind of names.


	4. Chapter 4: A Tale As Old As Time Pt2

The celebrations had begun. Music filled the air and chatter among nobles from all over the Fire Nation and even from the Fire Colonies were in the ballroom. Everyone was dressed to the nines with some women bickering of who more the most expensive material or who wore what better. Even the men argued about who was well put together and who was not. It seemed as if everyone was in a competition with one another but Ruyi and her father remained nonplussed about such trivial things. She hadn't left his side, choosing to glue herself to him in the throng of strangers. She knew no one except for him and the Fire Lord's grandson, Zuko. And even so, she couldn't spot the boy anywhere. Not like she was looking for him per se, of course.

"This is the most you've stood next to me." There was something playful in her father's voice. "I can barely get you out of your room at home."

Her eyes slowly looked up at him, a sneer on her face. "Tch, you're always busy." She went on to say, "When I do leave my room, you'd rather write a bunch of words all day."

"Calligraphy is important, and I will teach it to you too." There were many things Ruyi wanted her father to teach her. She too wanted to be able to wield a sword or maybe learn the way of archery. The only weapon she ever used in her life was a spear and she certainly couldn't consider herself proficient at it, but her skills protected her and little Katara when need be.

Just remembering the young girl had pained her. Her heart would sting as the girls blue, bright eyes appeared in her mind. The guilt of feeling joy within the nation and the people—the firebenders—that had took her young life washed over once more. It was wrong for her to feel joy, it had to be.

"And now, we'll be showing the dance of Prince of Shu Jing in battle!" One man announced, ushering everyone to prepare themselves as a short platform was in the center of the ballroom.

Curiously, Ruyi tugged her father's sleeve to gain his attention. "Who is the Prince of Shu Jing? I thought there was only the Fire Lord and his heirs that were royalty."

Piqued by his daughter's sudden interest, he closed his eyes as he recounted the tale. "The Prince was named Zhinu and was said to be the son of Agni. The reason why they called him the Prince of Shu Jing was because the Fire Nation was divided islands. Zhinu would become the first Fire Lord."

"So Agni was not the first Fire Lord?" Her brows furrowed, a frown on her face as she felt more lost now than she had before.

"Agni, while being our God, had left the physical world after the death of his first wife. Zhinu was the son of Agni and Yuhuan, that he had to leave behind. The Fire Nation was merely separated islands, and we often fought with the Earth Kingdom that tried to claim them. Agni abandoned his son, too stuck in his grief at the death of his first wife and that is why nobody knew at first who Zhinu truly was. He was half God and half human. A man who ruled the smaller Islands of the Fire Nation adopted the boy, becoming his fourth son, and the land he found him was known as Shu Jing. Thus why he was given the title of Prince of Shu Jing."

Now coming to understand and putting pieces together, Ruyi slowly nodded her head. "He became a general by his uncle because of his battle prowess as well as his kindness and bravery. He was widely loved and admired; legend also has it that Zhinu was so beautiful that he looked like a woman. He wore a mask in battle to appear more fearsome to his enemies."

Ruyi couldn't help but let out a snort, "What's wrong if he looked like a woman? His enemies wouldn't have taken him seriously?"

"As you know, back then, women weren't allowed on the battlefields but that's why Qiang changed the livelihood of women, but it wasn't an easy and quick change, Ruyi. You see now that women have come a very long way since those times."

She could surmise what he said as the truth. Many women of the Fire Nation were educated, had ranks in the military, and own their own businesses. Back in the South Pole, some women had fought but only if they were waterbenders and if it was the last resort.

"But why is this dance important?" She couldn't help but ask, "What is the significance of this battle?"

"Nobody knows, I'm afraid. It is all a matter of opinion of what this dance is about." She couldn't help but be curious about this, and decided that later on that she would read more about Fire Lord Zhinu and his life as Prince of Shu Jing.

Fourteen women had came into the room. The rest of the ballroom was dimly lit aside from the platform and the areas around it. They had split in three groups, four on each side and four in the middle of the platform. The Fire Lord sat on the larger platform of the room in a golden throne with his son on each side. On his left was Iroh with Lu Ten beside him. On Azulon's right was Prince Ozai, Prince Zuko, and a young girl as she remembered Zuko saying he had a sister.

The dancers, which she learned to be concubine, had went into poses with their arms in prayer forms towards the ceiling. Their hanfus were beautiful and made of thin material, the sleeves of the dresses were green, the bottom of them were pink, and gold armor was plated on their chest and stomach.

Only one stood out amongst the sea of green and pink, and it was the woman in red who wore a golden mask that wasn't like any of what the other concubines had worn. Her hanfu was red, traces of green were in the material of her golden armor as there was gold-plated shoulderguards on her small shoulders with red feathers poking out from under the armor.

Her movement was more fluid, gentle yet forlorn than the rest. Since she played Prince of Shu Jing it was to be expected that she would stand out, but Ruyi didn't think she would stand out this much.

In her awe of the woman, it seemed as if she was really in battle. Her hair was done up in the style of a topknot to make her resemble a man instead of the half top knots that women usually wore wore. Her hands would flick along with the heavy pound of the drum, but her hips would move sinuously along with the soft er-hu. She was every bit of graceful, which reminded her of the true art of waterbending.

"Who is that women dancing?" The child whispered to her father without taking her eyes off the dancers.

"I believe that is Prince Ozai's wife, Princess Ursa." Princess Ursa? Zuko's mother? She hadn't seen the woman but heard her earlier. The mask had surely hid her face from above her nose and the left half of her face. All she could see was the woman's pink, full pouty lips and her right eye, which was a alluring honey-gold.

It seemed as if everyone only had their ways on her. Watching her barefeet slide across the platform with ease as her arms controlled the sleeves to move in a calming sway. There was something about the dance that seemed quite sad. It was as if the Prince of Shu Jing wasn't present in the battle. In fact, it was as if his mind was entirely elsewhere.

After being so entranced with the performance, the blue-eyed girl didn't even realize the music had slowly died down and the dancers posed in their final stance; the dance of Prince Shu Jing in Battle had already ended. There was an explosion of applause and cheers, everyone screaming praises to the harem and to the princess.

Ruyi, while clapping, had shifted her gaze towards the Fire Lord, who held a ghost of a smile. Maybe it wasn't in him to perform such an joyful act. He seemed quite serious and stern, plus his presence made her feel threatened and scared. Her eyes then fell to Zuko, whose eyes were beaming with pride at his mother and his hands clapping the hardest out of him and his sister. It was a cute sight.

"Princess Ursa," The room immediately quieted when the Fire Lord called out the name of his daughter-in-law, "your dancing reminded me greatly of Ilah. For that, I am grateful to you."

She had given her in law a rather deep bow and a serene smile. It glowed with warmth from his praise. "Thank you, father-in-law. I did my best to honor my mother-in-law, who I loved as if she were my own. I hope that you stay jovial for the other performances tonight."

How humble of her, Ruyi thought. The whole roomed to be charmed by the Fire Princess in that moment of humility. There would be an intermission before the next dance, and so everyone went back to chatter and eat, but Ruyi only decided to eat light snacks since she wasn't too hungry.

A servant had opened a tray before her and her father, revealing perfectly round yellow-brown balls of food. Her azure eyes stared intensely at them, trying to decipher what the food was made of. Her father took a toothpick and picked one of them up, taking a small bite of it and found himself nodding as to say he enjoyed the food. Out of curiosity, Ruyi had done the same and winced slightly. Her eye did a little twitch as the explosive spices completely took over her mouth.

It was tangy but soft, the meat, was tender and wasn't the slightest bit of rough or chewy so it was perfectly cooked. "What is this?"

"Tangy meatballs." answered the servant, and she found herself still confused about what was in this small round food. "Do you like it?" He then asked and with hesitation but certainly, she had given him a nod. Satisfied with her answered, the man then presented the food to others.

"Hey." The voice had startled her and she almost bit her tongue out of the surprise. She looked to see Zuko, standing there with his mother at his side.

The woman was still dressed in her dance clothes but the golden mask was completely off. And for a while, Ruyi felt intimidated by the woman's outstanding beauty. "So, you're Ruyi, am I correct?"

Ruyi appeared puzzled, wondering if Zuko had spoken to her about the garden or their first encounter in fact. Maybe her father told the Princess who she was? Either way, she wasn't sure how the woman knew her exactly. "Uh yes!" Quickly, she bowed in the presence of royalty as her father had.

A smile made its way on the woman's lips, "This is the first time I've ever seen blue eyes. You are of Water Tribe, no doubt." Under the woman's observation, the young girl couldn't help but feel quite meek. Her head lowered, a warm shade of red flaring up on her cheeks. "I know it is hard to be raised by a single parent, especially a father. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

Surprised by the true motive of the woman's greeting, Ruyi looked at her in shock. This woman was offering to be a maternal guidance in her life, which seemed too kind beyond Ruyi's beliefs. There is no way this woman was this nice, right?

"T-Thank you, Princess Ursa!" The words quickly came out of her mouth, the stutter surprised Piandao but made Ursa chuckle.

Looking towards her son, Ursa bent her knees to level with her child. "You should be preparing for your performance. Go change and get ready, Zuko." With a reluctant nod, the boy turned and left without another world. Ruyi's eyes followed him as he left the ballroom and into the halls.

"Zuko is performing?" She asked, "What is he performing?"

"Yuhuan's Goodbye." answered the princess, "It is about the battle between Agni and Yuhuan, and how she fights Agni. She ends her life to spare him for him doing it for her and dies in his arms."

"But why did they fight? Why did she have to die?" The questions instantly spewed out.

Ursa chuckled at her curiosity, "Yuhuan was said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face. A human that captivated the heart of the Sun God, Agni. For her, he roamed the physical world and upset the balance of the world. The Spirit world would miss Agni, he was their ruler and only the sun to us. So for many days, he let the world be in darkness to be with her. She knew that the imbalance of the world would be to blamed on her if she did not persuade Agni to go back, and so she devised a plan."

Listening intently, Ruyi had watched Ursa with full concentration. "In order for Agni to return to the spirit world, she falsely claimed to betray him. She told him that she had fell in love with another and this child, Zhinu, was not his. He was enraged and wanted to harm her false lover but Yuhuan fought him. Agni struggled between his love and his anger and because he would not let this matter go, she ended her life in the midst of their fight. Her dying words were an apology as well as a request for him to return to the Spirit World. He knew then that she had lied in order to return the world to its natural order and he mourned her forever."

"But didn't he marry again?" She asked, "The woman named Qiang."

The woman nodded, "You are right, but Qiang was considered to be a pitiful woman despite all her greatness. Agni did not love her with the intensity that he had loved Yuhuan."

 _'Well, that's depressing...'_ She thought. _'So Zuko is going to play Agni and who will play Yuhuan?'_ She wondered.

"Princess Ursa!" One of the women of the harem that danced along with her, still dressed in their pink and green hanfus, had quickly made their way towards her. While panic was on their face, they were quite out of breath due to the run.

Concerned, Ursa turned to them with a worried gaze. "What is the matter?"

"Nobleman Shuuzou's daughter is ill and cannot play Yuhuan. We don't have anyone to fill in." They quickly spilled, wondering what they were going to do now that it was a pressing matter.

Ruyi watched the woman sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose out of stress. Her eyes then glanced around but soon fell on the young girl beside her. Bending her knees to level with her, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I know this asking for a lot, but could you please fill in?"

"W-What? I don't even know the dance or… how to dance!" Her eyes looked up at her father, pleading for him to help. He merely shrugged his shoulders, leaving the matter completely up to her. Ruyi looked back at the woman's pleading eyes and found herself feeling quite cornered. "I… I guess I can try."

Relieved, Ursa pulled the girl in a hug to show her gratefulness. "Thank you, Ruyi. I promise to make it up to you." Turning to the concubines, she then spewed out orders. "Please hurry and dress Ruyi, quickly. The show will start soon."

 **Ruyi's P.O.V**

I gave out a pitiful yelp as the women pushed me along, hurrying me out of the ballroom and down the long halls of the palace. I wasn't sure what I agreed too, but my heart was hammering against my chest that I thought it was going to eventually give out. I was taken to the chamber for the concubines, marveling the expansive room despite its current messy state. My clothes were immediately being stripped off me, just as I came into the room, and I tried my best to cover my flat chest. I had nothing to show, but I was still reluctant to be completely nude in the room full of women.

They were trying to be quick, not for my sake but because time wasn't exactly on our side at the moment. Three of them were trying to put my outfit together, two others applying make-up, and the other three were doing my hair. There were so many people hovering over me that I couldn't find enough air to even breathe.

The material of the white gown they were putting on me was inviting. It had a long train with sleeves that went far past my hands. They were feathered and black at the ends of them, which reminded me of a crane. I wasn't sure how someone was supposed to exactly fight in this, but I guess I would have to make-do. Atop of the gown came the royal blue very with a dark blue borderline and white sash tied around my waist. I had to gasp for breath with how tight they first tied it around me but loosened when they notice my obvious discomfort.

What seemed to be more difficult was the black okobo on my feet since I could barely stand in them, so how could I walk or even fight in them? I was unsure how anyone could fight or let alone dance in such an attire. I bet this was just an exaggeration of what Yuhuan really wore, if she even existed.

A black line was painted on my neck and my lips painted completely black. My hair was combed back, neat, and they even offered to trim my hair since it appeared to be uneven. I obliged since I knew I would forget about it so it was best to have it done now then to worry about it later. The last edition to my ensemble would be the mask., which completely looked like a crane. It was black from the eyes down with a grey beak, the forehead part was white save for the red oval that reminded me of the bird's feathered head.

I struggled to walk to the mirror to see myself and for once, I was actually in awe. I did look like a spirit even though Yuhuan was human, but she was symbolized as a crane in this play. I tried to spin around but my ankles weakened from the odd shoes and the concubine had to immediately catch me and lift me back up on my feet.

Then I was handed a spear, which I knew was from the Water Tribe. The deep blue of the painted body was enough to give it away. It was also old and I wasn't exactly sure how old it was but our spears were much different than this one.

They escorted me out of the room and back to the ballroom, where the loud conversation felt normal among the crowd. They kept me surrounded as if anyone wasn't supposed to notice me yet. I was grateful for it upon the fact that these shoes were so difficult to walk in. The man who announced the Prince of Shu Jing in Battle had walked on top of the platform again, I guess to announce the dance I would be partaking with Zuko.

"The last performance of the night will be 'Yuhuan's Goodbye' starring our Fire Lord's grandson, Zuko, as Agni." The cheers had rung in the air as he walked up onto the platform. I was completely in awe at his costume.

A spiked pauldron covered his left shoulder since it was attached to the upper section of his cuirass as there was flame designs on the faulds. His outfit was a deep blood red with black and gold cherry blossom flower crest at the collar and sleeves. His pants were sashinuki hakamas, which gathered at the ankles but ballooned at the calves. His boots were ankle-high and black, but pointed at the toes.

A red dragon mask was over half his face with a big detachable black fur piece at the back of it, covering Zuko's own hair. The dragon had golden horns protruding at the sides, which made it quite menacing than it did beautiful. I could see that everyone was in awe of him like I was.

"And playing the beautiful Yuhuan is being played by Swordmaster Piandao's child, Ruyi." I felt embarrassed by that, being called out that is. Not only that, many people were surprised and confused at the announcement. The man quickly climbed down the platform so that Zuko and I could take the stage. I saw the lights dim so that the only lit up place in the room was the stage as it had been earlier.

I wondered how Zuko felt knowing that I would be dancing with him. If I were him, I would be angry. The amount of time and practice he put into this just to dance with a person who didn't know what they were doing had to definitely be frustrating.

In his hands were his broadswords and in mine was the spear.

I prayed to the moon that I would do this role justice.

The eerie sound of the dragon flute played as Zuko took one step forward. With my spear in my right hand, I took a step forward. I had no idea what I was doing but I tried to think back on the story that Princess Ursa told me. Yuhuan had told Agni a lie in order to protect the world, which meant to sacrifice her love and happiness. He was at this anger stage, wasn't he? And Zuko was stalking me, which meant this was Agni being swallowed by his rage.

My gaze stayed on him, following after him as we walked in a circle. He had thrust his sword out, but I met it with an upturn of my spear. The sound of the blade of the spear meeting the broadsword was the only sound in the ballroom. He was about to bring his other sword forward but with a push, but I spun on the flat bottom of the oboko and twirled away to evade it. The flapping of the gown sung along with the sound of his sword piercing through the air.

Now things were going to get serious. He came at me, spinning with his swords and I did my best to use the body of the spear to meet each swing that came.

 _Clack. Click. Clang._

My heart was racing as if it were a real fight. Despite it not being real, these were real weapon that we were holding. That was the authenticity of this dance and I had to set my fear aside in order to help Zuko and Princess Ursa.

We pulled ourselves at a stalemate, both his swords were pressing down on the rod of the spear and I tried my best to keep him from pushing me back. He was stronger than I was, without a doubt, and so my arms began to burn with soreness as I tried to keep it up. Out of fear, I pushed him back and watched him expel fire from his mouth.

The sudden heat made me jump and I wondered if this was actually part of the dance. He swung the sword in his right hand and I quickly evaded it by ducking low. I flicked the back of my spear towards his head, but the dull side of the sword had smacked it away. Each strike next came quick, and hard, but I managed to hold my own. I twirled the spear in front of me to back him away, but when he pressed the swords together and swung, I had no choice but to jump and ended up landing one foot on the tip of the swords.

Everyone gasped at my quick actions while I was cursing myself and freaking out. One foot was balancing on the flat side of the blade while the other foot was pointed back. I guess Zuko seemed surprised too, but he pushed the sword up and sent me flying in the air. I nearly screamed as he met me halfway and caught me with one arm and landing in a kneel. My eyes were wide, searching for his in the holes of his mask and I could see those amber pupils in that shroud of darkness.

I took no minute to spare to move away and pointed the blade of my spear at him. He went into another stance to fight me once more. The pounding of the drums sped up my adrenaline as I moved the weapon in a stabbing motion to aim for his chest, but he moved it upwards and pulled me close. I spun until my back was pressed against him and his other sword was at my neck. I had to remember that at some point Yuhuan killed herself, but how had she done it? Did she let Agni strike her or did she use her own spear? A spear was an awkward weapon to kill one's self, so I surmised that she let Agni strike her.

Dropping my weapon, I had grabbed the wrist that held the sword and leveled it down and moved so that the blade was facing me. Both hands were now gripping tightly at his arm and plunged inches away from my side so that the sleeves would make the effect as if I had been stabbed into my stomach.

A collective sound of gasps came again as Zuko dropped the sword once my hands had loosened and I pretended to struggle to walk. I crashed into his chest and his arm supported my neck as he weakly descended down to his knees. Stroking the side of his mask, I let my arm limply fall to my side and made my body seem loose and lost of life.

A stream of fire had exited Zuko's mouth again to signal Agni's agony before he pressed his masked face to my shoulder and cradled my form until the lights completely went out.

There was silence for a while until I heard the room erupt into whistles, applause, and yells of praises. A sigh of relief escaped me as I grabbed onto the sleeves of Zuko's costume. He pressed his face to my ear so I could hear him amongst the loud room. "You actually did good."

He seemed genuinely surprised that I completely faked my way through this dance. "Good because my stomach was doing flips and I thought I was gonna piss myself when I jumped on those swords."

A laugh had burst out of his mouth and I felt his body rock from it. It amazed me how my life completely changed from me being kidnapped by my own father to dancing with the Fire Lord's grandson.

As we were being bathed in our rain of applause, we had bowed at the audience. When then stood and faced the Fire Lord, but out of fear I had grabbed the sleeve of Zuko's costume. His expression was unseen but I knew he looked in my direction. I hope he didn't mind I was seeking for a sense of comfort from him since usually I would hide behind my father, but the only one I had sort of liked was Zuko who was right beside me. Soon enough the appraisals of the dance had lessened until there was nothing but quietness. Now it was time to see how the Fire Lord like our performance.

"That was quite interesting." He mused as his arms rested on the arms of the chair. "Remove your mask, child."

I knew he was speaking to me. He knew his grandson's name ( and obviously knew his face ) but I guess he forgotten mine. My free hand went up to reach the crane mask to reveal my trademark eyes in the heart of the palace of firebenders.

Azulon's expression had not changed upon the sight of them. In fact, there was a curious glint into those cold and serious yellow eyes of his. "Are you a waterbender?" He asked.

"Yes, I am, My Liege." I answered as how I remembered the books had taught me.

He remained quiet for a few minutes as to assess this information. I automatically assumed that he was already disgusted with me and thought ill things of me as most people of the Fire Nation had. "It has been a long time since I have met one."

I hate being the center of attention and I had hoped he would center it to his grandson. Zuko deserved praise for his performance; he dealt with me with professionalism, something I could've never done in his position.

"But I am curious of something." He went on to say, which made me freeze like an iceberg in the middle of the ocean. "You have heard of Fire Lady Ilah, haven't you?"

"Of course." I answered, "I've read about her and her accomplishments as well as legacy as Fire Lady."

"Then out of your honesty, what do you think of Fire Lady Ilah?" I wasn't sure why he seemed to be testing me. I had looked over to my father who seemed more than puzzled by the situation himself. His grey eyes looked to me to answer, quickly. "I've heard enough of her beauty, wisdom, and virtues. So enlighten of something new from an outsider's point of view."

If I hadn't already felt like an outcast, I certainly would've felt like one when he, the Fire Lord, called me an outsider. I stood there, my palms became sweaty and my throat dry. I had gripped tightly to Zuko's sleeve while trying to calm my heart that might burst.

I tried to think of something, anything, but nothing exactly positive had came to mind. Everyone was watching me, waiting for me to say something but I kept coming up with my harbored hatred for this nation that I tried to bury. "My Lord," I paused and then sighed, "I can't do it."

"I was told you were a witty, unruly girl but it seems you do not live up to your name." He sounded disappointed but at the same time, smug. I thought he didn't know but he had heard of me.

Who told him I was those things? Had my father praised ( and insulted ) me to him? Normally, I would've thought the world of it but had I known it would put me in this position, I would've been harsher to him than I had been before. "I am those things." My pride was bubbling, my stubbornness taking full form. "But enlightening someone is about expressing one's feelings."

I subtlety shifted my weight onto my right foot, "Fire Lady Ilah was pretty, wise, and virtuous, but in my mind, she's a rather pitiful woman."

It seemed as if the entire world had stopped. Everyone's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets and the Fire Lord's eyes narrowed nearly into slits as he tightly gripped the arms of his chair. " _Pitiful_?! You **_dare_** call her _pitiful_?!" The flames of the room heightened with his anger, nearly reaching the high ceiling to confirm how enraged he had been.

I wish I had kept my mouth shut.

 **End Ruyi's P.O.V**

 **Zuko's P.O.V**

Out of everyone in this room other than Master Piandao, I knew Ruyi had a habit of speaking whatever came to her mind. I eyed her, hoping she wasn't going to make the same mistake again as she had with me. She was gripping tightly onto my sleeve, which alerted me that she was nervous. Her? Nervous? I guess since I was a kid and not even a prince, she thought she could mouth off at me but since it was my grandfather, she seemed to feel small under his gaze.

I wasn't sure why Grandfather was curious of how Ruyi felt about Grandmother. After all, she was dead and we were celebrating her life, so why did it matter how some waterbender from the South Pole felt about her? She acknowledged her greatness, so why was he seeking more? I couldn't for a second guess what was going on his mind. I never did before, so it shouldn't have been any different now.

When she had called my Grandmother pitiful, I gasped. The way she said it, so casually too, I knew she meant it. I wasn't sure why I felt scared for her when I shoud've been angry that she thought my Grandmother was pitiful. She insulted her but for some reason I knew that this could be chalked up to the girl's ignorance of our culture.

How could she speak her mind without repercussion? What made her so fearless? I couldn't help but envy her, her lack of subtlety and control. She lived her life freely where I had to watch every single step and even every breath I took.

Guards came running, I didn't even hear my Grandfather shout the orders of taking her to custody. They had pinned her down to her knees, both her hands being held behind her to make sure they had the better advantage.

"She has smeared our mother's name." said my father and I immediately felt scared. My feet were glued in place and I had looked at the sleeve that Ruyi had once held that was now free from her because I had been too afraid to look at my father's infuriated face. "That is unforgivable. By law, she should be fire-whipped to death!"

I saw her shaking her head but her teeth were biting down on her bottom lip as if she fought not to speak seeing where it had gotten her. Master Piandao was blocked, he had tried to rush to her but I knew they weren't going to let him through. He knew not to fight in this circumstance because if he had, they would've killed her.

"Please pardon, Ruyi, My Lord." said Master Piandao, giving a deep bow.

The low tone of my Grandfather sent a chill to my bone, "It's obvious why she should be punished. "What is the reason for sparing her?"

Before he could given an answer, my mother had walked and stood beside us. Her hands were tucked in her sleeves and she wore a calm yet pleading look on her face. "Please pardon her, Father-in-Law." I was glad my mother stepped in, she was a voice of reason and Grandfather very much liked her. If anyone could get through to him, it was her. "Sire, allow me to ask you… What is your interpretation of the anniversary of someone's death?"

There was a concentrated look on his face as he gave his answer, "To me, Ilah is dead. But as long as I remember this day, it would feel like she had never left."

"That's right, Your Majesty." Mother's smile immediately warmed me, I always wondered how it had that kind of affect. "When people remember the dead, it adds the sanctity and immortality of the deceased. In my opinion, if Fire Lady Ilah should know of this, she wouldn't want you to cherish her memory with any bloodshed."

His face looked to be in deep thought and I had wondered what my Grandfather was thinking. His eyes then traveled towards my Uncle, "Iroh, what do you think of this?" It seemed like everyone was be giving a test today. My Grandfather never sought the advice of others in normal circumstances but maybe he was pondering who would be a better Fire Lord even though my Uncle was the Crown Prince.

"I am against killing children, and those who make petty mistakes." He said, "But she has committed a crime and should be punished."

My Uncle couldn't outright declare her freedom and for her to go unpunished. I understood that he thought she would get a lesser punishment, one that wouldn't maim her.

"I'll pend her sentence. Take her to the cells." He dismissed them and Ruyi was forcefully brought to her feet and dragged away. She looked at him and I saw a rather hint of regret yet relief as she had been escorted out.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for the review Powerpuff, and writing more is what I did. Thank you everyone else for the faves and follows, I hope I'm keeping your interest. Since I took to long for chapters, I threw these two out here. Now it'll be a while as I work on the next.


	5. Chapter 5: Together

The cells were hot, and she kept finding herself having to wipe light traces of sweat from her brow. The Fire Nation's warm weather still would take some time getting used to, but she found herself liking the fact that she didn't to be restricted by so many clothes—except for now since she was still wearing the Yuhuan costume.

This would be the perfect time to reflect, to understand just how she got herself in this cell. Even though she could rewind the events of the festival over and over in her head, realizing what she had done wrong and what she could've done to prevented this mess, she didn't feel contrite about what she said. In all honesty, Ruyi stood behind it. Fire Lady Ilah, from what she had read of her, was a pitiful woman and she would not go back on her words.

Her mother had always taught her to speak how she felt. That nobody could control her feelings or her thoughts because they were her own. Her mother always believed in following her heart, and Ruyi did too. Even if the outcome wasn't favorable, it was her own and nobody could take that away from her. Everyone wanted to police people's feelings and thoughts, but Ruyi wouldn't allow them. She promised to stay true to herself no matter what.

There was one thing she was grateful about while being in this cell, it was the barred window. The moon was full and bright, bringing light into the dark room. Watching the bright and round moon had comforted her and seemed to lull in her a sleepy haze. Her eyes could barely stay open, her boredom beckoning to be taken away by the calls of sleep.

Her drowsiness was shut down when the door of the cell room had opened, forcing her awake. Her eyes slowly glanced towards the cell's bars as she awaited the heavy footsteps to near her. She was the only one here and so there was no one else for them to see other than her. Standing before her now was a tall and top-heavy guard, who used a key to unlock the cell door. "Fire Lord Azulon wishes to see you."

The chains was unlocked and he grabbed her arm forcefully to get her on her feet. She was given new bonds so that she maintained her prisoner status and because one couldn't be too sure if she would put up a fight and harm someone. Even though Ruyi had no intentions ( she was quite smarter than that ) but she could understand the precaution. With a glare, she cooperated and walked alongside him even though she was very tempted to drag her feet to spite him. Now she was back in the halls of the palace but her wonder for the art among the place had died since then. All her attention was focused on what the Fire Lord wanted and had to say. Her future was in his hands after all.

When they reached two large, golden doors, Ruyi had fixed herself up to stand upright, her shoulders squared and her head held up high. The guard opened the door to reveal a room, which she figured was a lounge or meeting room seeing as all within the room was her father, the Fire Lord, Princes Iroh and Ozai, Lu Ten, Princess Ursa, and Zuko. Why were they all here? Was this where he would decide her punishment with an audience?

Ruyi was brought to her knees as her bonded wrists allowed her hands to lay on her lap. Her eyes defiantly looked to the Fire Lord, who stood with his arms behind his back, wrists crossing one another, as the rest were seated. Her eyes couldn't find themselves able to look at her father. She knew she had disappointed him and she didn't want to deal with the fact. Despite how much of a rah-rah she was over not wanting to impress him, Ruyi didn't want to bring shame to him.

"For your short period of time here and to be only a child, you've made quite an impression on the royal family." Azulon said, "From my daughter-in-law, my grandsons, and my eldest son." Ruyi's eyes watched as he spoke with his eyes were slit-closed with an expression hard that detailed he was completely in thought. "All of them have asked for you to be pardoned."

Her eyes widened as then noticed the smile on Ursa's face before shifting to her father's relieved expression, to Lu Ten's hopeful one, to Iroh's lighthearted twinkle, and finally to Zuko's worried eyes. The only one who didn't seem quite happy ( or worried ) and supportive was Prince Ozai. After all, he was the one who thought she should whipped to death by fire-whip. And Ruyi would _never_ forget that either.

"But my real reason for summoning you here was to ask you something." He went straight to the point, "Why did you say Fire Lady Ilah was pitiful?"

"Before I answer that," Her voice was taut and low, "can My Liege answer my question first?"

Ruyi froze when he raised his hand, his head tilted back as his eyes glowered upon her. His long finger pointed at her as he spoke, "Don't push your luck, child!"

Shaking her head fiercely, she retorted. "I'm not doing that, Sire." With a shaky sigh, her eyes remained low as she had been too afraid to look at his angry eyes. "I'm worried after I answer your question, you'd be so angry that you'll want me put to death again."

Lowering his hand, he moved it towards his back like before and gazed at the floor. "Ask away!

"Why is it that you're so devoted to Fire Lady Ilah?" The words finally came after a slight moment of hesitation.

The Fire Lord had inched his way towards a painting, which Ruyi couldn't see from where she had knelt. "Because she was unlike any other woman. Other women loved the thought of marrying royalty, not me. Ilah was just a teenager when she married me. She loved for who I am, whether I'm the Crown Prince, the Fire Lord or even a beggar. She loved me just the same. She gave me children and was truly devoted to a life with me. There won't be anyone like her anymore."

The child listened to his words, and she could even even say that her heart warmed to them. In a way, she felt sorry for him but her words, she didn't feel the need to take them back. "Tell me, Fire Lady Ilah's virtues are are known throughout the world." Slowly, the tall, old male had turned to face her with his eyes staring at her. Even people in the Earth Kingdom had great respect for her. Why is she pitiful in your eyes?"

"I think that way because I've been reading her books lately and I came to a realization." She answered, fiddling with her fingers out of nervousness.

Taking a step forward, she could tell his ire was rising. "What kind of realization? Tell me!"

"I once thought you loved Fire Lady Ilah throughout her life, she must been the happiest woman on earth to have a husband like that." Her eyes glanced at her father. _'Something that my mother had but lost.'_ Ruyi thought to herself. "This was my mindset as I read the books, hoping to obtain some knowledge and skills that she had."

Azulon continued to pace in thought. "She gave you two children. As a mother, she had to look after them. As a Fire Lady, she had to run the harem. If she spent enough time with you, she couldn't have found the time to write twelve volumes of poetry and one hundred paintings. Behind each gem of a word and stroke of a paintbrush, she only had a lamp to keep her company on countless lonely nights. That's why I felt, Sire didn't love her that much."

His pacing had stop as he did a double-take and locking his eyes on her. "Keep talking!"

"I also couldn't understand why you seem so attached to her. After reading her poetry, I gradually began to realize rather than you saying you love Fire Lady Ilah, it's more like you feel regret towards her..." The Fire Lord's eyes lowered to the floor, "For not cherishing her when you could. That extravagance you go to on the anniversary of Fire Lady Ilah's death only proves Sire harbors enormous guilt towards her. When the world thinks Fire Lady Ilah won your eternal love, when in fact all she had was a false reputation. You let her down, that's why I think Fire Lady Ilah was pitiful." Looking up at Azulon, who kept a rather tight and inscrutable expression, she lowered her eyes as she sighed. "That's all I have to say."

"You think you are smart?" The both of them locked-eyes but Ruyi felt too intimidated to keep her gaze and so she settled to look back at the floor. He didn't say another word but instead left the room, leaving Ruyi to wonder what was to become of her.

The room was silent that if someone were to drop a pin, it'd be the loudest sound. In fact, Ruyi almost thought that her heart was beating loud enough for everyone to hear. Prince Ozai was the first to leave and then Princess Ursa and Prince Iroh after Lu Ten. Piandao had stood from his seat and walked towards Ruyi, the guard standing beside her still. With his hands on her shoulders, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Ruyi was surprised by the gesture but nestled her face in his shoulder.

"I've tried to silence you, but no matter what I say you speak how you feel." He spoke, making her eyes look at the side of his head from the corners of her eyes. "Your mother named you well, Ruyi."

She wasn't sure what he meant by that—she didn't even know to think whether if this was a compliment or not. The only thing she was sure of was that her father was grateful that she was still alive and unharmed. Though what she would be sentence to, nobody knew but Ruyi hoped that her punishment left her alive and without torture.

Zuko had jumped down from the chair and walked over, the look on his face quite unreadable. Piandao had relieved her from the hug and stood. Ruyi gave him a firm nod, which he understood that she wanted to talk to Zuko alone and he had left the room, leaving her with the ten-year-old.

"You have a lot of nerve." Zuko stated calmly, but there was a twinkle of admiration in eyes. "I've never seen someone dissect my Grandfather like that before."

The air of the conversation was light and stopped her heart from feeling scared and heavy. She sighed and then managed to give a small smile, "That means I did good, huh?" She joked, "Not sure though, I might not be alive after this."

"If you die, you'll be a legend." Even though it was a joke, she couldn't help but feel horrified about that. What kind of legacy would that be? 'Water Tribe girl of age nine tells it like it is to Fire Lord Azulon', she was pretty sure the truth would remain hidden. No way would the Fire Nation let Azulon's name be tarnished because this girl couldn't keep her mouth shut for the life of her.

"So, Zuko," Her hands created fists and she lightly punched the boy's shoulders, which he dramatically 'ow'd' to and rubbed the area where he was hit. "Thanks for, uh, sticking up for me. You didn't have to do that, you've could have gotten in serious trouble."

The corner of his lips twitched, wanting to smile but he tried to play it off and masking his expression to a rather arrogant one. "I only did it because you saved my neck by helping out in that dance. I would've been some loser swinging around a bunch of swords dressed as Agni."

"Instead of it being called 'Yuhuan's Goodbye', it would have to be changed to 'Agni's Gone Crazy'." Ruyi joked causing Zuko to snort loudly and turn his head. "I guess I can't leave yet, huh? Aren't I suppose to be in my cell?"

The guard looked down at the small girl, "You'll be staying here until you are given a sentence."

"Oh, well, okay." She wasn't in a rush to go back to that place. And besides, she didn't mind spending a few more minutes with Zuko. "Don't you have a bedtime?"

Unamused, he hmph'd and folded his arms. "Father isn't happy with me. Mother and I tried to plead him for a lighter sentence, but he wouldn't have any of it. Since we kind of ganged up on him, he's angrier than ever so I'm not in a rush to leave."

Frowning, her small hands had gripped onto Zuko's arm since it was only thing she can do with her bonds. "You're an idiot! You should've sided with your dad. I would've understood. I'd be angry, but if you'd explained then I would've understood what you had to do."

"But I stood up for what's right, didn't I? Isn't that what you're supposed to do?" His eyes were looking for answers in her azure ones.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "Sometimes standing up is the worst idea. Look at what's happening to me, but the only thing I have to lose is my life. You have more things to lose than I do."

"I guess…" Uncertain, and morally confused, he looked down at the floor in thought. "I guess deciding right from wrong isn't really all that easy."

"Its not." Ruyi had let go of his arm, "But that's the flow of things. Such is life."

"Why do you talk like an old person?" Zuko questioned, "You're _only_ nine."

The girl couldn't help but chuckle at that, "You see, my mom was my best friend for a long time. She wasn't really a people person and so, the only person she would vent to and talk about things was me. I guess you can say that's why I don't act or talk my age."

With a grin, she playfully wrinkled her nose. "Besides, isn't there a saying that girls mature faster than boys? I'll always be ahead of you."

"You wish." He shot back but the smile never left Ruyi's lips.

"You should go. Don't royals need their beauty sleep? Beauty is really, really big over here. Can't have you looking worn out, now can we?" They've gotten to a place where joking and teasing was okay, at least that's what she thought. Even if the boy hadn't liked it, well, Ruyi felt comfortable enough to poke fun.

The Fire Nation royal narrowed his eyes dully, "Beauty? I'm a boy, I don't _need_ beauty sleep."

Rolling her eyes, she had sighed. "Boys _can_ be beautiful. Hey, Zhinu, Prince of Shu Jing, was beautiful."

"And he had to wear a mask to be taken seriously, Ruyi." He fired back, which she found herself nodding in agreement. She didn't have a good comeback for that one.

It had been quite some time since Zuko spoke to someone close to his age, especially in a comfortable and friendly matter. Mai was kind, but they weren't able to be friends because of her friendship with Azula. It was always her deciding between his sister and himself, and she ultimately chose Azula over him. Zuko didn't fault her, not in the slightest, but he felt lonely.

Princes received tutors and schooling but relationships with people outside weren't considered important. It didn't matter if his social skills were good or bad. People automatically had to respect you and could be killed otherwise. So whether the prince had friends or not, meant nothing. He could obtain friendships with fellow soldiers if he decided to join the army like his Uncle had or was given expeditions like his father.

So, for Ruyi, to see him as this normal person and not as royalty was kind of comforting. For him to tease, to joke, and converse no matter the air of the subject had made him feel… good.

"Seriously, Zuko." His eyes concentrated on her and removed themselves from his thoughts, "You should get some sleep."

This girl was about to possibly die but she was worried about his sleep? He couldn't understand her way of thinking. Did she want to be alone or did she care about his well-being? Maybe she didn't want to get into deeper trouble or maybe she didn't want him to get into more trouble with his father?

What were her motives, Zuko wondered. "Yeah." He gave in, nodding his head.

He was surprised by her smile at his response and found himself having to avert his gaze. He wasn't sure why he felt so discombobulated by the sight but he chalked it up to the fact that he was tired.

"See ya." Ruyi couldn't wave but she knew that he would know she wished him a goodbye. With a nod, he turned to leave the lounge area and she was left with the guard.

With a sigh, she slowly brought herself down on her backside with a plop. Her head hung low as her mind was rattled with worry. "Am I… really going to die?" The words came out hushed, not wanting the guard to get the idea that she was speaking to him. Now that she could get just a little bit of time for herself, she could prep her mind for the worst.

Ruyi wanted to cry. In fact, she could feel a stinging sensation in the back of her eyes but she couldn't find the strength to let the tears well up. And she'd be damned if they fell.

 **-/o/-**

Later on that night, she was told of what would become of her. Her sentence could've been severe. In fact, most people and even the servants, chefs, and all who ran the palace and noblemen and women that attended the party all suspected that she would be put to death. Fire Lord Azulon had surprised them and all and her sentence was the embodiment of leniency:

"Ruyi is found guilty for slandering the late Fire Lady Ilah. After the anniversary ceremony, she is hereby assigned to Jinhua Hall to take up cleaning duties by day and copy Examples for Women by night."

 **-/o/-**

It had been the first day of the second week since she was in Jinhua Hall. It was dark, quiet, and even cold. Although it was spacious and there was a high platform in the center with tiny, brown gates around it. It didn't seem all that great when she had to clean it. There were paintings, displays of items that held ancient history and from all over the world that had to be dusted off after she admired and read about them of course.

Her curiosity of the place had dimmed since then for if she wasn't cleaning, which literally took the entire day if you wanted the place spotless, then she was at the small table writing on fresh pages the words that Fire Lady Wende wrote years ago. As she was copying the books, she had noticed something different about this book than the actual copy that her father had given her. The writing was different, and actually beautiful. Her own writing skills weren't the best, but they it was alright and she found herself good at mimicking other handwriting, which helped perfect her own. Even though she had already read these volumes, she assumed that the reason why Fire Lord Azulon wanted her to rewrite it was because he thought she hadn't learned from it. Maybe he was instilling some values and manners in her.

The first day was lonely. Her father could not visit her and the only person allowed in this place was the Fire Lord, and he had not came to see her either ( not like she wanted him to but hey, he was a person ). It was restricted from everyone except him, which she guessed was because some important pieces of history was within these walls.

Ruyi was beginning to miss the outside air and the sun, but that had been taken away from her temporarily. She wasn't sure how long she was going to stay here and how many copies of this book she would have to write. Ruyi just prayed it wouldn't last a month or even a year and more.

It was nighttime, she could tell. People of water had always felt the pull of the moon, and this sudden energy that they couldn't experience during the day. It always made her grateful to be a person from the Water Tribe or else she would never be able to tell the time of day had she been lost. "I'm so tired, and hungry." Ruyi sighed, growing accustomed to speaking her thoughts out loud since there was nobody within Jinhua Hall to listen.

"Psssst!" The sudden hiss surprised her, making her jump and hold her brush out as if it were a weapon. Immediately, she scrambled to her feet to look for the source of the sound. Who could it possibly be? Nobody was allowed in here. Out of the shadows, a person with a black cloak and hood had revealed themselves. Before she could question who the person was, she sighed in relief when it was revealed to be Zuko.

"You scared the crap out of me, you idiot!" Ruyi berated him, hoping her heart would calm down some.

Merely rolling his eyes, he shortened the long distance and looked around. "I couldn't just walk in through the front doors."

Confused, her brows furrowed as she tilted her head. "What do you mean? How did you get in here?"

"Secret passageway. The Palace is full of them, but I can't tell you anything more than that since it's only for the Royal family to know." There was something supercilious about his tone, but Ruyi knew better than to take it to heart. They've come to a place to poke fun at one another, and his arrogance was apart of the act.

"Oooh, I'm _so_ jealous~" With a lazy smirk, her shoulders relaxed and she lowered the brush. She felt silly that she could use the weapon of intelligence for a weapon of physical defense.

"Have you finished writing?"

Shaking her head, she sighed as she thought about the work. "No, not yet. I'll be done soon for the day, hopefully. What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"You're always rushing me off to bed. I can stay awake as long as you can, Waterbender." Zuko had then pulled out a three-tier lunch box from his cloak. "I figured you'd be hungry."

Happy, but above all surprised, she managed to perform a happy grin. "You don't _even_ know! They only feed me once a day, but I think that's because I told the servant he smells like Komodo Rhino shit because he made fun of me." Running over to him, she took the lunchbox from his hand and opened the first shelf. "Ohhh, you brought dumplings! I love dumplings."

"You do?" Zuko seemed surprised at this, "Its not the first thing I thought someone of the Water Tribes would like from the Fire Nation."

Taking an already split pair of chopsticks, she had taken one of the steamed dumplings and placed it near her mouth. The smell of it was enough to make her mouth water, but she decided to answer Zuko first. "Well, a lot of Water Tribe food in the South is chewy since was eat a lot of fish like Octopus and stuff. The jerky is chewy too, but kinda hard. I like chewy things, but the dumplings aren't hard and tend to melt in your mouth a bit."

The first bite was enough to make tears pool at the corner of her eyes. How she missed being at home and eating her father's steamed dumplings. She liked when he made those even though she always acted as if whenever he cooked, it wasn't special. Her father's cooking was better than the servants, she thought.

Entertained by her expressions, Zuko sat down and pulled the shelve from the lower tier for a small bowl of noodles. Her blue eyes traveled to the sight of it and saw what she was surprised to see a red lobster. "What's that?" She asked with a mouth full of food.

Disgusted by her lack of manners, Zuko's face scrunched up to reveal his displeasure. "Chew your food before you talk, Ruyi." Shaking his head, he then looked down at his own food. "Dragon Prawn noodles. Its my favorite."

"You Fire Nation people and your _dragons_." Ruyi said with a sigh, already having swallowed her food so she wouldn't be lectured again. "I'm starting to think it's an obsession."

His eyes narrowed, studying her face with a heated glare. The smug smile on her face was a giant indicator that she knew her words would annoy him. "Dragons are a great symbol for our people and—"

"I'm just teasing, Zuko. Sheesh, you always get so _fired_ up. _Fired_. _Up_. Get it? Hahaha. I'm _so_ clever sometimes." Wiping a stray tear from her hard laugh, she watched him quickly avert his gaze and began to brood. "I know what dragons mean to you, I'm only messin' with you."

It was a terrible form of an apology, but he acknowledged it as one. "Whatever." He mumbled, slurping up the noodles and latching his chopsticks to the ends of the noodles to make sure they didn't slip up and hit him in the face.

They sat there in silence for a while as they ate. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was much needed. It gave time for Ruyi to reflect on the odd relationship between them and whether or not she could dub it as a budding friendship. They started off badly but then had found some middle ground which involved playful, verbal jabs. Was he her friend? He did help her as she had help him, they were spending time together now, but did it matter if their relationship had a label?

Dismissing her thoughts, she let out a yawn. "I wish I could go outside."

"You can't." He said, "There are guards doing rounds here. You'd get caught as soon as you try to turn the knob."

Irked by this, she shook her head. "That isn't fair. This whole punishment isn't fair! All I did was state my opinion but I was accused of slandering Fire Lady Ilah. That wasn't what I was trying to do…"

"I think you hit a sore spot." Zuko went on to say, "I asked Uncle about how he felt about what you said, and he said he thinks you were right. Many people don't know how depressed my Grandmother was. How she had missed his companionship and possibly resented him as she died. He hasn't forgiven himself, and for you to see that with just your observations of her books alone is kind of… Well," He couldn't find the word to describe it, "cool, I guess."

The odd compliment made her want to laugh, but she decided to stay on the subject instead of possibly aggravating him again. "The only reason why it seemed so apparent was because my mother's life was the same." Looking up at the ceiling, she chewed on her white rice with a blank expression. "My mother loved my father until she died; that was clear to me. She resented him for not finding her, us, and then blamed herself for running away from him. She was pitiful too. Her eyes always had this sadness in them, and it was guilt. There were times where she would try so hard not to cry in front of me, but I would hear her. So, I saw my mother in Fire Lady Ilah."

He knew her mother was a sensitive subject and was surprised that Ruyi went as far to say this much about her. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but it was probably something he learned to be as sympathy. Zuko didn't know how to comfort anyone and knew how awkward it was whenever the roles were reversed. So instead, he looked down at his food in silence.

"But, anywho, you should probably get going. I'll finish the rest of this but I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I don't want to leave yet." His words caught her by surprise, "I'll go when I'm actually tired."

The corner of her lips had curled in a small smile, "Alright then. I'm full thoughl." Her eyes glanced towards him, "I've been meaning to ask, but… it seems like you don't have any friends like your sister does."

She watched his eyes expand, revealing his shock as his body went entirely rigid. He then loosened and sighed, "I don't have any." His voice was low, almost hard to hear but since it was so quiet here, she definitely heard it.

"Why not?" Ruyi questioned, "You're not a bad person."

Zuko rose a brow, "So I'm not a good person either?"

"Hey, I didn't say that." She grinned, "You did. But really, I mean, you are good. You've helped me, a lot. So, I don't see why you wouldn't have any."

His shoulders rose and sunk in a shrug, "I'm just not good at making friends."

"Oh, well, making friends is easy." Ruyi nodded, "You just say hi and... talk."

The boy had a rather dull look on his face as if to say 'You really think its that simple?' But he merely, and rather lazily, shifted his attention to his empty bowl. "Wow, you _really_ should be a teacher."

"Really?"

"No." He answered, revealing the sarcastic nature behind his words.

With a pout, the Waterbender let out a sigh. "I had friends in the South." She went on to say, "But I honestly can't remember how any of us just became friends to be honest. I think we just played together and it went on like that from there."

"Played together? I was barely allowed out of the Palace if it had nothing to do with training or schooling." Zuko replied.

"Oh, well, what about your classmates then? You go to school like Azula does, right?"

He gave a slow nod, "I did but my father said I would get distracted by trivial things if I stayed in school and now I have tutors come into the palace to teach me. Since Azula isn't going to inherit the throne, he found it okay that she paid attention to other things like school activities and such."

"Oh…" Ruyi frowned, "but you had no friends in school?"

"People were either intimidated or wanted to use me." Zuko had gotten lost in the memories of his short-lived school life, "So it was hard to trust anyone."

"I understand." Putting down her chopstick and letting out a sigh, she then managed to smile. "How about I'll be your friend? I don't have any here, we already know each other, and I won't be afraid to tell you whatever I wanna tell you. My dad's already rich so I won't need any of your money and my dad is ranked highly enough on his own. So, you don't have to worry about being used." She listed, his eyes staring at her in surprise.

Unsure of how to feel, he quietly looked down at his bowl with a small smile.

After eating everything from the lunchbox, Zuko had left after Ruyi's badgering. Even though she wished he could stay a little longer to fill in the time, she wouldn't risk him getting him in trouble. He was her friend now and she took friendship seriously, mind you. Ruyi's job as anyone's friend was to protect them, to look out for them, and the way Zuko was unable to do much of what he wanted, she had to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

Now, since she wasn't tired still, she looked at the desk with a sigh. She really didn't want to get back to writing but it had to be done. She would do it until she uncontrollably fell asleep or when her hand would start cramping up. She bet her father did not minded this punishment since it was a writing lesson as well as a way for her to get her manners straight.

Raising her arms, she stretched them over her head before winding her left, sore shoulder. "Alright Ruyi, time to get back to work."

"Taking a break?"

Without a second to spare, Ruyi immediately turned around and abased herself to the floor. It was Fire Lord Azulon, coming through the front doors of the hall. She hadn't expected him to see her, not ever, and she felt relieved that Zuko had left as soon as he did. What would the Fire Lord say had he caught Zuko in here? She was sure the boy would've gotten in trouble.

"Greetings, Fire Lord Azulon." Ruyi said politely as she could muster. "W-What brings you here, Sire?"

His hand motioned for her to sit up and she had done so. Her backside was resting on the back of her legs and her hands were folded in her lap. Her head was tilted forward but her eyes were steadily gazing up at the man in front of her. "I've come to speak with you, child."

"I'm afraid to speak to be honest." She managed to say, shifting her gaze to a random spot on the floor.

Her body jolted as she heard the strange... cackle? "You're a peculiar one. Not a child I would've expected Piandao to have."

Everyone just kept saying that. What did they think she would be like? Demure? Maybe poised and serious? Just because her father behaved a certain way, that didn't mean she had to follow in his footsteps as far as personalities go. Ruyi was her own person and she wasn't sure why nobody understood that here.

"I'm not sure why I, uh, have captured your attention once again." Fiddling with her fingers as she felt like sweating under his molten stare, she wondered if Azulon was made of fire. "I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

"I see you have a relationship with my grandson." Her eyes widened upon that, ready to deny it in order for Zuko to be unattached to her and reputation. He noticed her panicked expression but he shook his head, "I'm not condemning it."

Confused, and a little unnerved, Ruyi raised a brow at that. "You're not?"

"Not at all." Now slightly afraid, she wondered just where Azulon was going with this. "You're fierce, and annoyingly blunt." Her expression threatened to deadpan at this but she kept it expressionless. "You are also gifted with perception, aggravatingly so. These are the traits I'd like to be instilled in Zuko."

Trying to understand, her head went into a inquisitive tilt. "Wait, are you saying that I'm a good influence?"

"Hardly." He retorted with an elegant snort, "What I am saying is that you have qualities of a leader, a leader that I wish Zuko could be."

"Zuko isn't next in line to be Fire Lord though." Ruyi's brows furrowed in confusion as her eyes stared at the floor. "He'll have to wait for Prince Iroh, Lu Ten, and his own father, Prince Ozai, to die before he takes the throne."

"I think I know that, child." His eyes set in an irated gaze and she felt small under it. "No matter, you never know what may happen when I pass. My eldest son is a General, his son aiming to be the same. Men die at war, and there is a chance that both of them may do the same. And say if my second son suddenly falls ill one day and soon dies? Zuko will inherit the throne and I need him prepared in case he ever does."

"Wow, when you put it like _that_ then I can see it." She nodded, rubbing her chin. "Zuko is quite, well, volatile and albeit forgiving. I can tell he was hesitating in giving me a second chance. He and I didn't meet on good terms either, My Lord."

Azulon nodded, soaking in her words. "Zuko is far too soft and consequently naïve. I blame his father for not raising him well."

Her eyes lowered as she sat in though. Zuko and Ozai had a strained relationship, but from what she could tell was that Zuko was trying hard to mend it. "I'm not sure what you're really asking of me, but I can try to help Zuko as best as I can."

"If you want to see my grandson succeed, I hope you do." His words sat heavily on her mind as he had left, leaving her no time to say anything else.

Zuko was her responsibility or that's what it sounded like Azulon had said.

 **Ruyi's P.O.V.**

Three years have passed since then and things have changed rather… dramatically. I can't begin to tell you how exactly things came to be as they are now. A week after that rather strange heart-to-heart I had with the Late ( yeah, I mean late ) Fire Lord Azulon, he died one night in his sleep. It was odd how it happened. He just suddenly passed away but there was no proof of him being murdered or anything. I would've taken it that he was old and he died from natural causes, but two things happened that didn't seem right. Princess Ursa disappeared the day he died and then Prince ( now Fire Lord ) Ozai inherited the throne. How? Just how could that be? Prince Iroh was more than deserving of the throne according to Late Fire Lord Azulon. He told me the natural order of who would take the throne just a week before his death. I kept those things to myself, I didn't even dare tell my dad about it. I think he knows something was wrong during the day Fire Lord Azulon died as well.

Another sad thing that occurred between these past three years was Zuko losing both his mother and his cousin. General Iroh was so devastated that he couldn't continue the siege ( but part of me was glad that the Earth Kingdom was freed from the clutches of the Fire Nation ). He had went away for a while during his grieving, which left me to take care of Zuko ( now Prince Zuko or Crown Prince, but I have cool points to call him Zuko still ). He took the losses pretty heavy and I knew Iroh would've been a better comfort, but I've been more of a good distraction for him.

The pressure was on too. Zuko's father was on his case, to keep proving himself to be fit to inherit the throne after Ozai. What Ozai deemed as fit wasn't what his father would've agreed with because there seemed to be something more sinister to our new Fire Lord. Fire Lord Azulon was no saint, and I would virtually not like him. I tolerated him because I had to, but he was still an evil man in my eyes. He still led raids to the South, and since the last waterbender was supposed to had been killed I had known that Ozai would leave the South be. It was the North they would soon be after next and I felt pained that there is nothing I could do about it.

Anyway, Zuko had been confiding in me about the insurmountable pressure he was given to by his father. And at the same time, Azula began to cast a shadow over him, which made him look weak and incapable. I had known that Princess Azula was gifted, but she was far beyond my expectations. The girl was a prodigy and a giant threat to Zuko's inheritance. I was worried, severely, but Zuko and I had made strategic plans to prove his worth. I even would spar with him and it was much more intense then creating balls of water like before. It was fun to watch our elements in a fight since I've grown stronger these past three years due to my father's tutelage and reading the waterbending scrolls. It felt good to know hand-to-hand combat and picking up on my skills with a spear as well as archery. I just only hope I'd be able to put my skills to good use.

 **End Ruyi's P.O.V**

The sun was beating down Caldera City heavily. It was the first week of Bā yuè ( August ). The heat didn't stop anyone from being outside, but that was to be expected. The heat was the norm here and the people of the Fire Nation, and especially Firebenders, enjoyed it tremendously. Ruyi couldn't stand the humidity, however. She found herself bending perspiration from her brow every now and then and having to stop to get water whenever she had the chance. Why did she think a stroll in the Capital would be lovely? If she knew just how muggy it would've been, she would've taken a carriage but that couldn't stop her from feeling dehydrated constantly and from sweating. At least a cool breeze would caress her skin every now and then, which was some relief as she felt like she was baking under the sun's heated glare.

The palace wasn't too far now, which relieved her. It felt naturally cool in there and it was a great escape. Zuko had to be grateful that she came here, basically dragging her body along to see him as she had promised. The days they spent together were short and once in a while. She was busy training herself that she often forgot the outside world and the fact that she was supposed to be helping the prince stay the prince. Shu Jing wasn''t just a walk away, and sometimes she hardly knew what was going on in the palace until her father alerted her with news from a messenger hawk.

Reaching the golden gates of the palace, Ruyi sighed in relief and flicked her wrist as she bent the sweat from her brow once more. The guard looks at her, curious as to why she seemed so haggard. It was like they constantly forgot that she wasn't raised in this Nation. It was so drastically different than the South Pole that she had to wonder if her body would ever completely get used to how hot this place could be. Even after three years, she couldn't adapt well to this heat and this overbearing sun.

They moved out of the way and opened the gates for her. They were use to her presence that she didn't even have to state her name anymore. Now she would have to walk along this hot, long courtyard and she wondered if she would die before then.

It amazed how her feet kept her trekking forward until the palace doors were opened before her and the cool, inside air of the palace hit her skin. "Phew!" Ruyi sighed, "I'm not leaving until it's dark out. I can't stand this sun!"

"Ah, Ruyi, you've come to visit Prince Zuko?" Her lips smiled upon hearing the voice and she had looked to see General Iroh. Her hands instinctively reached out to grasp his, her mouth parched and drier than the Si Wong Desert. "You look like you could use to some water. Ah," he waved to one of the women donned in palace servant clothing, "could you be a dear and get the girl some water?"

How kind he was to the help. It shouldn't have surprised her though, especially seeing how she saw firsthand how Azula treated them; cruelly and without the slightest bit of sympathy.

When the water arrived, well, let's just say she downed the entire thing with one gulp. Her wrist slid against her lips to wipe the water as she sighed happily. "That was refreshing!" She said, now feeling happy that her throat felt hydrated and back to normal. "Thank you." She thanked the servant, the woman blushed and quickly went on her way.

"But yes, I am here to see Prince Zuko." Her eyes shifted back to Iroh, a small smile on her face. "Where's the Princey boy?"

He laughed at her nickname for the Crown Prince, the chuckle pleasing to her ears. It was always good to be around a happy and lighthearted Iroh. She missed that and she was glad to see it again. "He is in the study. He told me you are making him read the Art of War."

"Sure am!" The girl nodded, "Zuko needs to build up on war tactics before he can be Fire Lord. Even though I don't want him to be." Ruyi mumbled the last bit but it did not go unheard by Iroh.

"You don't wish for Zuko to be Fire Lord?" He questioned, brows raised. She stiffened at this and rose her hands in defense.

"I mean it's not like I don't think he's a good fit, but I… You know what it means." Ruyi wasn't sure how to articulate these words together. The fact that it meant Zuko would be her enemy, wanting to continue the war with Fire Nation reigning supreme in this war… She didn't want that. She didn't want her friend to be her enemy.

It seemed as if Iroh understood what she meant. He sighed heavily and gave a slow nod, "Sometimes I forget this war has been hard on you as well. You have suffered."

Grateful of his sympathy, her shoulders relaxed some and she was able to feel the fear of her words being treasonous dim.

"Though I suspect that Prince Zuko is probably deep in his studies. I told him to read a lot of books and to look over past battles." With her hand on her hip, she slit her eyes closed. "Though I suspect he'll be frustrated by now."

"Why is that?" Iroh queried.

With a smirk, one eye had opened as she had heard stomping feet coming from the hall. Iroh's eyes glanced away from her and towards an angry, teenage prince.

He had grown taller, they were no longer the same height anymore. So now, she had no choice but to look up at him in order to meet his gaze, which revealed his fury at the moment. With a raised brow, she watched at his forehead pressed dangerously close to her own to make him seem intimidating. It didn't work, she was far too used to his tantrums.

"How to learn how to be a Prince of Dummies!" He rose the book and pointed his free hand's forefinger at it. Iroh choked, suppressing his laugh and having to turn away. "Its not funny, Uncle!" He spat as his face went red from embarrassment.

"Well, you said some of the books were hard to comprehend. So, I dumbed them down as much as I possibly could." The fact that she seemed so nonchalant about it pissed him off more. Not just that, even if it was on her face, he could feel the invisible smirk on her face.

Throwing the book down on the floor, her eyes peered down at it before looking back up at him. "I don't have time for games, Ruyi!

"I'm not playing around. There's some serious information in that book!" It was hard not to laugh, but she was telling the truth. She did take all the information she thought would be useful for him and tried her best to make it understandable for him.

The boy dipped his chin and gave a long glance at Ruyi. His eyes narrowed still and his brows knitted together to show his aggravation wasn't nearly gone as she hoped it would be. "I'm not a dummy!"

"I know you aren't. It was just a joke. Sheesh. Lighten up a little, will ya?" Zuko's playfulness wasn't always as diminished as it had become now. They couldn't play around like they use too. He would get worked up over any and everything, which made her sad than it made her angry. It wasn't like she could fault him since their new Fire Lord, his father, was always on his case. Not just that, he was walking on eggshells by keeping this friendship with her despite Ozai's lack of approval for Ruyi.

A few moons ago, Ozai told her he didn't condone her "brash" and "smart-aleck mouth". He even said that if she even dared do another stunt as she had during Fire Lady Ilah's anniversary to him that he would not be as merciful as his father had been. He was the main reason why she hated going to the palace and Azula didn't make it any better.

That girl knew all of Ruyi's weak spots and poked them with precision. The Princess knew that Ruyi would withhold herself out of the possibly of Ozai finding every excuse to erase her from Zuko's life and possibly out of the physical world. And so, she had to bite her tongue constantly whenever Princess Azula was afoot.

Zuko's temper dimmed and he let out a sigh. She supposed he felt guilty from becoming so hostile like that, and in order to appease his guiltiness, she had lightly punched his shoulder with a small smile. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Princey boy. You'll be alright."

"You think so?" That sign of hopelessness shining in his voice made her heart ache, but she kept her smile and gave him a firm nod. "Uncle's been helping me with some of this stuff too. Politics is pretty hard."

"Nothing is ever easy, Prince Zuko." Iroh went onto say, "Is everything in life was easy then what would be the point of living? You have to work hard in order to feel accomplished when things come together."

With her hands on her hips, she leaned towards the Prince. "Break time's over, chump. You oughta be back in that study and grinding."

"There's some things I'm still unsure of…" She knew he hated to admit that, but it seemed as if he had no choice.

"Like what?" asked Ruyi, her head tilting to the side as her curiosity was etched across her face. "Did I forgot to mention something? Did my handwriting get sloppy somewhere or…?"

Shaking his head, he then spoke up. "Why won't Father let me in the war room?" His eyes then looked towards his uncle, Ruyi's did as well.

The former General looked to be deep in thought, even stroking his beard before he gave his nephew a closed-eye smile. "That's because you're young of course. You are only thirteen, Prince Zuko. Maybe in another year or so and—"

"How am I supposed to just keep reading but never see what happens for myself? I can't learn like this. I have to be in the meeting myself."

Iroh and Ruyi shared a look. Both of them seemed hesitant about Zuko joining the war room, but they also knew that there was no way they can deny him without a good excuse. "How about you wait two weeks?" Iroh suggested, "That way you can mentally prep yourself."

The Waterbender nodded her head, "I agree with Iroh." She went onto say, slightly wincing as she could see the disappointment flash through the boy's amber eyes. "You're almost ready, just be patient. Just for a little while."

Zuko remained silent, surprisingly. Ruyi was sure she was gonna hear a loud earful about how he shouldn't have to wait any longer. Maybe it was because she and Iroh agreed on this that he decided to relent. "I only want what's best for you, you know."

Although it was the truth, it felt awkward to say. Her eyes quickly averted, finding solace in looking at the floor than at the boy's face. His expression was of shock as she combed some of fringe over as if to cover her heated face. "Thanks…" He mumbled, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

The older man smiled upon the conversation between the two, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Why don't you take a break, Prince Zuko?"

"Huh?" Both teens said in a unison, immediately whipping their heads towards Iroh.

"Zuko has been studying diligently and look, he's beginning to have raccoon-dog circles on his eyes from the lack of sleep." Iroh pointed, which Ruyi finally noticed for herself. "Take a break. It can be short, but at least take one."

"I can't." Zuko insisted, "I have to make sure I'm ready since you and Ruyi don't think I am just yet. I can't relax until I know I'm prepared."

Knowing that he was too stubborn for his own good, she sighed and grabbed onto the Prince's wrist. "Lets go, chump."

Startled, he felt his arm being pulled forcibly and his feet stumbled for a few minutes. "Ruyi, where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere that's not the study, that's for sure." He frowned at her subtlety before looking over his shoulder at his uncle, who was waving goodbye.

He knew he couldn't argue with the both of them now that their mind was set on this. Even if he felt annoyed by it, he was tired. He did want to relax but the stress of making his father happy and keeping his crown was becoming overwhelming. "What are you and Uncle are going to do when I become Fire Lord? Just rip me off the throne and take me wherever to relax?"

The girl paused, looking over her shoulder at him. She wasn't sure why she felt surprised; and she was a bit angry at herself for letting him see it. Maybe it was because he hoped that she would still be his friend that far along in the future, which Ruyi had a hard time seeing. Ruyi didn't like Fire Lords, she loathed them but could she still loathe them when Zuko became one?

Ruyi had led Zuko to the most comfortable place she had known; the palace gardens. There would be no one there bother him, no books around for him to read. There would be just peace and solitude. That's exactly what he needed, but she would entertain him with a spar so he wouldn't grow bored after a while. This was the least she could after encouraging him to learn war tactics so that he wouldn't make a fool of himself in the war room.

"Why out here?" He asked as she had finally let go of his wrist.

"Its a good distraction, and that way we can spar." She said with a small smile. "I learned this new trick I want you to see."

Confused but intrigued, he watched as she outstretched her hand towards the pond. With her fingers spread and her palm facing the water, she had moved it in a slow but controlled circle. The water began to spiral out of the water and then wrapped around her arm before fully enclosing it with water. In the end it became like a tendril, reminding him of an octopus.

"Neat, huh?" She turned to face him moving the wiggly water-encased arm.

"How long did it take you to learn that?" He asked, not bothering to compliment it like she would've hoped.

"A few days." She replied rather bitterly before swing it towards him, letting the end of it slap him across the face.

"H-Hey!" He yelled, rubbing his face from where he was hit. "What was that for?"

"I did say I wanted to spar, didn't I?" The teasing tone in her voice didn't calm his temper, but he did feel pumped enough for a fight.

Reeling his arm back, he punched his fist forward and unleashed a stream of fire. Shooting her hand forward, the water rolled off her arm and met with the fire stream and fully extinguished it mid-air, letting steam fill the air.

He was unable to see her, his eyes squinting in search for her until he felt something wrap around his leg and trip him. Zuko controlled his fall, twisting his body with a spin and landing on his hands in a push-up formation.

The Prince immediately got himself back to his feet and maneuvered in a zig-zag formation within the steam, so when it finally lessened and he saw her, he created a whip of fire and hit her tendril arm as a distraction.

Surprised by the attack, Ruyi pulled her arm back but not before she had felt a hand at her water-tentacle wrist. Her eyes widened in shock but now in front of her was a smug Zuko. With a pout, "Ah, you got me."

"Giving up already?" With his brow arched, he examined her expression as the corner of her lips slowly moved upward.

"Who said I gave up? I just simply said you got me." The water had slowly encased his hand in ice making it difficult for him to move, he knew that if he raised the heat within his hand that he would have to burn her in the process. Knowing Zuko wouldn't, she used it against him and swung him over her shoulder, forcing him on his back and letting out an "oomph". "Now I got you."

Turning the ice back into its liquid state, she had placed it back in the pond with little movements in her hand and watched him stand on his feet, brushing off his clothes. "I could've gotten out of that."

"I know, but Princey Boy cares _too_ much about me to burn me, now doesn't he?" Ruyi teased with a grin before turning away from him, her back facing him as her head tilted back to look at the sky.

"I won't be able to enjoy days like these when I become Fire Lord." Ruyi's eyes lowered upon Zukos words. It was true, they would rarely have enough time with one another but wasn't he thinking of becoming Fire Lord too soon? His father still had some youth left, and she doubt that man was going to die any time soon. There was no Avatar to stop him after all, and the rest of the world seemed too wounded to team together to stop the Fire Nation.

Even when Zuko got older, as a prince, he would probably not have enough time for her. Eventually, he wouldn't need her anymore. "Soon you'll have to get married too."

"I'm not looking forward to that." He answered albeit hesitantly, "Spending the rest of my life with someone doesn't sound very… pleasing."

Her brow arched at that, "What's wrong with marriage?"

"I hardly know if I can be a good Fire Lord." He said, his arms crossed. "How do I know if I'll be a good husband? My parents weren't picture perfect. I mean, I've seen them happy before but…"

The boy had silly fears, didn't he? "Well, what about General Iroh and his wife? Weren't they happily in love?"

"Well, I don't remember much of her. She wasn't around, she died when I was a toddler." Ruyi frowned.

"You're a good friend, so I don't see how you won't be a good husband too." She said, "I'll just have to tell your future wife that her husband has a crazy temper, you know?"

He smiled at her words some but then sighed, "It'll probably be arranged. I bet my father will make me marry one of the nobleman's daughters."

"A lot of them are pretty." With a shrug of her shoulders, she tried to lighten his mood. An arranged marriage didn't sound… happy or fun. It sounded like he would have to force himself to love her.

"Looks aren't everything." Zuko mumbled, "If that was the case then I wouldn't be worried about it."

"You're only thirteen, you shouldn't even be worried about anything. Hell, your voice is still cracking." If he think that went unnoticed by her then he thought wrong. In fact, his eyes widened upon that as she gave him a smirk.

"My voice is not…" It screeched as he tried to raise it, "...cracking…"

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a shrug. "If you say so, _Prince_ Zuko."

 **-/o/-**

A week went by since Ruyi left the palace. Most of her days were spent lounging around home since she didn't have the heart to go on a ship to the South Pole. Ruyi kept promising to be there for Zuko and she couldn't just up and leave him when he needed her the most. The boy was so vulnerable when it came to the image he wanted to project to his father. He was fighting so hard to be seen as the "perfect" son for Fire Lord Ozai. It was odd how he fought so hard for a relationship with his father while Ruyi didn't even fight for hers. Maybe it was because Piandao didn't have expectations out of her and she didn't have to fight for his love. Piandao gave her love as soon as he met her, and she eventually learned to accept it.

She also wanted to ask her father about what to do, but Ruyi was the type to internalize everything since she didn't want to bother her father with such petty troubles. After all, what could he do to help Zuko? Zuko had to build confidence in himself. Maybe one day he would see he didn't need to fight so hard, but that was something he had to learn instead of being told. Still, she couldn't help but worry about the lengths her friend would go to and maybe he would go too far and she wouldn't be able to help him. The last thing she ever wanted was to fail Zuko.

Now, while in the living room, she curled herself up in a red blanket and laid on her side on the couch. It felt like she was allowing herself to drown in her negative thoughts with the Fire Nation Prince in the center of them. Her mind was constantly playing out how she could help Zuko's situation, but none of it seemed foolproof or right. They would leave her annoyed and confused by the end of the process.

As usual, her father's students came; two boys by the name of Masa and Yagen. Masa had messy black hair that was always styled in an unkempt fashion and covering his right eye. His eyes were the brightest gold and always filled with mischief. He always liked bothering her, especially when she wasn't on-guard. Yagen was sweeter, however, and rather lankier. His hair was short, swept back, and a caramel color. His eyes were big and round and a silvery-grey like her father's.

She could tell her father enjoyed them. He treated them like his own sons even though she could tell that Masa's sneaky yet playful nature grated his nerves sometimes. Ruyi always liked seeing them interact and she also enjoyed sparring with them, so their presence wasn't as bad she pretended it was.

"Yo, Ruyi." said Masa, causing her to turn to face him. "What's with…" He pointed his finger up and down, signaling her blanket cocoon, "all of this?"

He certainly did not have a way with words. "I'm just tired is all." Ruyi replied lying back down on her side.

"You should leave her alone." Yagen chimed in, "She might be having a rough day."

"She's just been lazy." Piandao walked into the room, hands behind his back. "And I'm quite sick of it.

Rolling her azure eyes, she looked at the ceiling. "I'm not lazy. I still do my chores and I have been practicing calligraphy."

"What happened to you visiting the South Pole? You raged on and on about it, but you haven't even went." With a raised brow, he wondered just how she was going to back herself up.

"Just tell all my business why don't ya?" With a hiss, she turned her back towards them. "I just wanna be left alone."

Yagen, carefully, walked over and leaned over. Her head turned to see him looking down at her, "We're worried about you is all, Ruyi. This is very unlike you."

"I'm fine!" The raise in her voice startled him, making him jump and wince. Now she felt guilty and like she was taking her anger out on him. "Sorry, I'm just not in the mood."

"Then why don't we spar?" asked Masa, his arms crossed.

Even though she wanted to tear into him, to remind him that she said she wasn't in the mood, but she honestly thought about it. Maybe a spar would make her feel better though. It would at least get her mind off of everything, even just for a little while.

"Fine then.' Unwrapping herself from the blankets, she strutted over towards Masa with a huff. "If I win then you all leave me alone and if I lose, well, I'll let you do whatever. Just for today though."

"That's the spirit!" The gold-eyed boy said with his arms playfully in the air, "C'mon already."

Yagen looked between the two, almost worried about how intense the spar would be. "Are you sure, Ruyi? You know how you can get sometimes… When you're angry, that is."

Even though he was trying to help, and somewhat warn Masa, he annoyed her anyway. "He can handle himself."

Both of them, with their eyes locked on one another in an intense pre-battle gaze, were both smirking as if they couldn't wait for the fight. Piandao, while amused, remained nonplussed as he stood beside a worried Yagen.

All of them had went to the open garden area where Piandao trained his students. Masa went for the katana on the weapon rack while Ruyi went for the spear.

Twirling the weapon swiftly in her hand, she pointed the sharp blade of the weapon towards him as he unsheathed the sword from his scabbard. Masa moved forward, bringing the sword down to Ruyi but she had caught the blade with the wooden body of the spear with a smirk. As he applied his strength, making her move down from the force, she had managed to hold her ground long enough to push him away.

With a thrust, she shot the spear towards him but he had grabbed onto it before she could pull it back. Seeing as how tight his grip was, she pulled him forward but he made an attempt to simultaneously let go and sweep his sword down towards her. Luckily enough, she evaded the attack with a quick spin and placed both hands on the spear with the tip of the sharp blade pointings towards him.

Yagen and Piandao watched the fight with trained eyes. For some reason, Yagen always had seemed nervous, always afraid someone would get hurt but Piandao would have reassure him with a hand on his shoulder.

The two went at it for several minutes. Whenever they tried to trap one another, it always ended with someone outmaneuvering it. This was why Ruyi enjoyed spars with Masa, he made her better and more fluid.

A servant hurried down the steps to speak to Piandao, a letter in their hands. Yagen had looked towards them, wondering what the woman was whispering in the Swordmaster's ear. He was never one to reveal emotions, he always remained stoic even in anger. However, Yagen could see the man's body go rigid after the woman quietly stopped speaking.

"Ruyi." Her father called her name, both Masa and Ruyi had paused in the middle of their spar and she had turned to gaze at her father. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" She asked, turning to face him. "Was it about my form? I admit, they do need some work."

"No," he shook his head, "it's about Prince Zuko." Her eyes widened in curiosity, "He's going to be in an Agni Kai."

"An Agni Kai?!" She shouted in disbelief, her eyes wide and near bulging out of her sockets. "W-Why?!"

"It appears he spoke out of turn in the War room and disrespected a General." Her father replied quietly as he watched the girl drop the spear in horror.

"I… I have to see him! I have to go." Ruyi began to sprint, whizzing past Yagen and her father with no intentions on stopping.

Could she make it on time? Agni knows how much she prayed that Zuko would win the Agni Kai. He was strong, and he was capable, so he could win if he tried hard enough. But for some reason, she felt like her stomach was doing flips and her throat was closing in. She also couldn't stop the tears that kept slipping down her eyes. The only thing she could think despite the small sense of hope she tried force herself to believe in, was the fact that Zuko could easily die in this fight.

A grown man facing a thirteen-year-old boy? Just the thought made her legs want to give out. She was too determined now, and as she boarded the boat to head to the Capitol, she kept trying to hold onto the idea that Zuko would be alive and unharmed.

It didn't seem like anything was moving fast enough; the boat, the carriage, or her legs. By the time she even reached the palace, the fight was already over. All she could hear were the whispers of people citing the details of the fight. Ruyi tried to drown them out, wanting to see Zuko before she learned the details. She had to see him for herself; she had to know he was in one piece.

Iroh had just left Prince's room from what she could tell and his head was hanging low. Her heart tightened at his sad face before hesitantly moved her feet towards him. He looked at her in surprise as her hair was in disarray and panic was splashed over her face. He knew that she fought the odds to get here, to see his nephew and he would not stop her.

Opening the doors of the apparently dark room, there was little light. The only thing she could see was Zuko sitting up on his bed, his back on his pillow and his eyes looking at the window.

Her eyes had widened upon the sight of a bandaged wrapped around his head, specifically his eyes. Most of his hair was shaven except the lone ponytail. Zuko was burnt, on his eye? Everything had suddenly became a blur as her eyes immediately felt a stinging sensation and soon there were tears slipping down her eyes.

As he turned to face her, she had quickly wiped them away as the servant closed the door behind her and her feet carried her towards him. Whenever she tried to quickly wipe her tears away with the back of her hands, it was to no avail. Whenever one was smeared away, another came raining down into a vicious cycle. "Zuko…" Ruyi croaked out his name; her throat felt tight, making speaking feel quite impossible but she tried her best to.

He hadn't said anything and shifted his gaze away from her and down to his lap. Without hesitation, she had wrapped her arms around him and pressed him close. He was still alive, and that was all that mattered most. Ruyi wouldn't have known what to do had Zuko died today, but she wouldn't have to find out.

Even though he didn't return her embrace or said anything, she felt content knowing that his heart was still steadily beating in his chest and warmth was still radiating from his body.

He was still alive.

After losing her mother and then Katara, she couldn't lose another.

Her hold onto him tightened as if to continually reassure her that he was still within her arms. "I'm banished." He said, her shoulder muffling his voice some. "I'm exiled of the Fire Nation until I find the Avatar."

Her heart ached at the broken sound of his voice and she had freed him from her embrace. Her hands carefully went to his face, her hand trying not to touch the damaged part of his face.

Zuko wasn't sure if he felt angry or happy at her tears. This was the first time he had ever seen the Waterbender cry. He wasn't sure if these were pity tears and if he was happy or angry at the sight of them. In a way, he felt like she would doing all his crying for him since his eyes ached too much to even shed a tear as he attempted as soon as it happened. The salty droplet would burn his wound and leaving him in more pain than he anticipated.

"Banished?" Ruyi repeated incredulously, "After being burnt, you're banished?!"

Zuko knew very well that Ruyi had a dislike for his father. And even though he wanted to hated his father for what he had done to him, he couldn't. Zuko blamed himself for this mess. If he had stayed quiet, if he had done things differently than he wouldn't be in this predicament. He wouldn't be banished and being shipped out of the only home he knew by dawn tomorrow.

She was infuriated. In fact, she felt even stronger than. Ruyi wanted to go guns-blazing towards the Fire Lord but she would end up dead before she even so much as cut him. And then she would be leaving Zuko alone, and she couldn't leave his side any longer than she already had.

"I wasn't there for you." Her hands had clasped tightly to his, "You needed me today and I wasn't there."

"There was nothing you could've done." His voice was quiet and solemn.

Never, and had she meant never, had she ever seen such a broken look on his face. Just the sight of alone had her eyes shedding more tears. Shaking her head, she let out a long sigh. "You said you were banished?" Zuko's amber pupils slowly looked up at her, "Then I'm coming with you. We're going to tear the world apart and look for the Avatar, together."

* * *

 **A/N:** How do you like Masa and Yagen? They _might_ play major roles in the future. Sorry it took me sooooooooo long to release this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6: For You

Nothing could explain how furious she was. In fact, her father dealt with her rage better than he would've expected. When she came back home, which he didn't gather she would within the past three days, she looked as if she was on a warpath. He watched as she opened the door so fiercely, slamming it behind her and startling even the guards at the doors. Her eyes were red from what he assumed was due to her crying. Maybe it was because that she was mixed nation that it wasn't so odd that in her anger, heat emanating off her body and filled her aura and the whole atmosphere of the room. Her anger radiated off her like waves of sunlight, imitating the sun as if the giant star was within the room.

He wanted to talk to her, to help her, but he couldn't find the slightest clue as to what could calm her temper. Instead, the Swordmaster merely watched as she paced around the living room with her fingers combing through her hair every now and then and a giant storm in her eyes.

Piandao, at that moment, saw so much in Mienna in her that for a second, he thought he was seeing a much younger version of the woman he loved very much alive before him. He gave a small smile, his eyes softening as she finally turned to look at him; noticing his presence. She had not spoken a word to him, remaining quiet in her anger. "Ruyi." He called her name calmly, letting it breeze past her like a gentle wind.

Her lips parted to speak and he leaned forward in anticipation for what she had to say, but instead he had seen her eyes brimming with fresh, hot tears.

From the short time he knew his daughter, there was one thing he knew for sure. Despite how young she was, she bore the pride that was as resilient as a man's. Everything that was thrown at her, her little shoulders had tried to carry. Not once had he seen her so vulnerable, so weak, because she didn't want _anyone_ , not even her own father, to see her in such a state. His daughter was also very much like himself; he hated to admit that. That pride of hers would get in the way one day, just as it had for him.

Among that reflection of Mienna was a young Piandao, who chose duty over love. Who was too young and so hurt by his parents actions, that he had closed himself off until the warm touches of woman of wading water had drowned him in her love. If she hadn't doused the fire that consumed him, Piandao would probably be in this palace alone with nothing but calligraphy and swordplay to get through the day.

He wouldn't hear the rambunctious ramblings of this girl of twelve. Although it was rare, the most pleasing sound of all was the sound of her laughter echoing through this place. And to have think he would've never heard such a thing saddened him.

But back to the present, Piandao very much knew that Ruyi was shocked at the display of welling tears in her eyes. Her hands quickly went to her face, rubbing her eyes to wipe them away, but they poured down anyway. He had not known how to approach her, to comfort her, but Ruyi made the task difficult for herself in the process. Instead of showing sadness, she settled for what she knew best, fury. "Zuko is an idiot!" Her voice roared throughout the castle, startling him from such a loud, angry declaration.

How could one person switch from sadness to anger so quickly astonished him. She truly was fire and water.

Her arms were thrown up in exasperation, her eyes ablaze. "I said I would go with him but he… But he tells me that "He didn't want to drag me down with him". What is that supposed to mean? I'm his friend! I'm his _best_ friend!" Pounding her fist against her chest to prove her point, she shook her head furiously. "It doesn't make any sense!"

 **Flashback**

 _Awaiting his answer was making her anxious. Her declaration of undying loyalty, of a devotion to help him get himself back on track had spilled from her lips just mere seconds ago. She could've sworn that she would've been greeted with a thanks or words of gratitude but instead she was given… silence. Silence? For what? His lone eye just stared at her with a whirlpool of emotions she couldn't read. Why just a stare and not an answer? How long was he going to make her wait? Whatever the case may be, she was sure that he was going to say yes._

 _"No." He finally spoke and his answer did more than shock her, it had hurt her. Her eyes were wide in confusion, her azure eyes swirling with sadness at his reply. No? Why no? What the hell did he mean by no?!_

 _"No?!" Ruyi repeated, trying her best not to raise her voice but she couldn't hold herself back. The girl never could._

 _Zuko had shook his head rather slowly, his eyes gazing out the window beside his bed. "No." He said once more, very calmly too. She could be shocked by this state of calm that she never seen Zuko be in before, but she was too overwhelmed by the rejection of her sincere and heartfelt proposal._

 _"Why?! You want to look for the Avatar by yourself?!" The Waterbender questioned, not leaving until she received her answers. She demanded answers and she was bent on getting them._

 _Of course, Zuko wasn't going to expect that she would take his answer with a grain of salt. Ruyi wasn't the type, especially when she wasn't given a valid reason. How could he tell her without upsetting her? Even as he sat in this bed, wanting to scream from the pain of his eye and the ordeal he went through, he was trying his best to calm her down._

 _His hands gathered the blankets in his hand, his head hanging as he couldn't quite look at her expression. So, he figured best way for her to move on from this was to… "I don't want you to."_

 _Going rigid from his answer, she eyed him as he continued on. "You don't want me to?" Ruyi echoed his words with an over-pour of disbelief. "So, what are you trying to say, Zuko? You don't want me around? You don't want me with you? What, am I annoying or something? Are you angry with me?"_

 _Biting down on his teeth, he breathed in. "Ruyi, I've made up my mind. You're not going."_

 _If it wasn't for her pride, she would've let the tears welling up in her eyes fall. "You still haven't told me why."_

 _"I said that I don't want you to." He looked at her, the expression hard and unchanging. Her heart ached so much that it made her wince as her hand went up to her chest, clutching her shirt. "Why do you have to make everything about you?! What about me?! What about I want?! Look what happened to my face! Look what my father has done to me? And you, you want to worry about your feelings and what you want?!"_

 _Silence had settled in as she shifted her gaze away from him. Her eyes had no strength to look at him and so they settled for the floor. "The past three years of my life was about you and your needs, and what you want. I've never even once thought about myself or what I wanted… I wanted to go to the South and I—"_

 _"Then go!" His finger had pointed to the door, "Leave! Leave right now."_

 _Biting down on her lip, not hard enough to draw blood but certainly close, she nodded. "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted. You don't have to tell me twice."_

 _With a stomp, she had left the Prince's bedroom and slammed the door closed behind her, leaving him in the darkness in the room with the lone light of his window shining down on him._

 **End Flashback**

It was obvious was Zuko's intentions were, but they remained a mystery to Ruyi. Piandao felt grateful for the Prince's decision to not let Ruyi follow him around the world in a chase that might last for the rest of that boy's life. The punishment was terrible, but what was to be expected? Piandao never liked that Ozai. He distrusted him the day he had met him, but his distrust for the royal family had been quite present for a long time. The only one he did managed to like was in fact, Prince Iroh. He also did not approve of the friendship Ruyi had with Zuko, but she was her own person and he knew she had to learn and deal with situations on her own.

Piandao never had his parents to coddle him. They had nothing to do with him when they realized he was a nonbender, and so he had to deal with the world head on without guidance. And even though times were tough, he had managed to pull through, and even though he was here for his daughter, he knew she was capable of making most decisions on her own.

He disapproved her wanting to follow Zuko, but he knew why. That girl felt obligated to that boy for the past three years, holding off her dreams and ambitions for the sake of his own. There were times he wanted to chat, to talk her out of that mindset, but as they days, months, and years had gone by, he could see that resolve of hers faltering. But now, that resolve was as strong as it had ever been but it wasn't out of the kindness of her heart, it was pity. She pitied that boy. She cared for him, that much was true, but it was pity and she did not want to admit that.

Zuko had probably known that too, and that's why he opted for pushing her away because of his hurt and for her own good.

"This is Zuko's problem, Ruyi." He finally spoke, "And he must make these decisions; he put himself in this predicament, and he is the only one who can steer the ship in the right direction."

"Put himself in this predicament?!" Ruyi huffed, angry with her father's words. "What kind of father burns his son's eye?!"

Although she had a point, Zuko should've been more careful with his decisions, in Piandao's eyes. Ozai was not the one who comforted their child for mistakes, Zuko had known that. "The kind of man that our Fire Lord is. He was never once the parent who offered words of wisdom after their child makes a mistakes; he is the one who does not tolerate mistakes."

Her anger died down and her eyes shifted away from her parent. "I know, but…"

"This is Zuko's life, not yours. You need to live your life instead of fixing his." Standing up, he had walked towards the young pre-teen and placed his hands on her small shoulders. "Do what you want. Zuko will live his life, he will not stop his life for you. You must live for you."

His silver eyes widened in surprise as slender arms went around his torso, and a head was buried just a quite a few inches below his chest. His eyes looked down to see this stubborn child embracing him. His eyes closed into a smile as he rubbed the top of her head in slow, affectionate strokes.

"There will never be a day when I am not proud of you, Ruyi." He said, "But please do, what is best for you from now on."

* * *

 **A/N:** Holy AGNI THIS IS THE SHORTEST CHAPTER. PLEASE DO NOT BE UPSET. My laptop is acting crazier than Sokka without meat. I had to release this chapter before my laptop just deleted it and I would cry and not feel like writing it again. So please, don't hate me. To make it up to you guys, the next chapter will be the longest I have ever done because this is like... a spoon with a two specks of sugar on it.

Anyway, thank you for the reviews. Huehuehue, someone saw through my plan. I thought it might be too cliche if she went with him, and so I thought a reunion would be best.


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